Shadow Souls
by ariescelestial
Summary: Continues after the game. Yurice? Halley refuses to go to the City of Darkness, while Alice and Fox Face are going in--as guests of the clan!
1. C'est La Vie That's Life Take 2

Disclaimer: Sadly, nothing in Shadow Hearts is mine. Although I would love to own Yuri. And if Yuri wasn't available, perhaps Keith. Barring either, I want Yuri's talisman, Alice's cross, and Anne's cross (goes and stuffs her loot into the hiding place). What can I say I'm a kleptomaniac!

**

Yuri knocked and stood in front of the door, patiently waiting for about two seconds before knocking again. Because truthfully, he wasn't very patient. "Alice! Are you in there?!"

The door opened and Alice looked at him, a little surprised. "Is it already one?"

"Yeah…you didn't hear the clock?" In Alice's hometown, there was a clocktower that rung each hour. It was too loud to ignore, especially where he lived—right next to it. It managed to wake him up at every single hour in the night.

"Um, sorry…just wait a few seconds, I'll go get the table cloth," she said. "Come on in." After closing the door behind Yuri, she ran off to get the cloth.

Yuri waited in the foyer, which was actually pretty large. Alice and her mother lived in a nice house, not at all like the flat he lived in. While their house was too large for only two, decorated and filled with light, his flat was cramped, bare, and dark. And right next to the stupid clocktower too.

"Alright, I'm ready," Alice said, bringing with her a basket. She checked inside to make sure that the tablecloth and sandwiches were inside, along with some other food.

"I'll take it," Yuri said, grabbing the basket. He opened the door and then stood aside, winking at her. "Ladies first."

"Since when are you a gentleman?" She laughed as she walked out, and then looked around. "Oh…"

"What's wrong?"

She pointed up and Yuri saw a few dark clouds near the horizon. "It might rain. I don't know if they'll come over here or not. Maybe we shouldn't have the picnic?"

"Huh? But this is the last time we can be alone! Everyone's coming tomorrow. Come on, the wind will probably change before the clouds come here."

Alice thought about this and said, "I don't know…"

Yuri made a pouting face. "Please?"

Alice laughed and agreed. Together they set off for the park, making small chat as they walked. Alice knew all the neighbors and they often stopped so she could say hello to them. Yuri was quickly becoming well known around the neighborhood too, but for different reasons. Many found it curious that Alice, the daughter of a conservative priest, well bred and with proper manners, was being courted by a atheist who used profanities constantly and who seemed to have a shady past. The fact that Yuri was also half-Japanese played no small role in fanning the flames. There were plenty of rumors in the town about the two and how they had gotten together and what Yuri's intentions were. Not that Yuri or Alice knew about the rumors. Both of them were happy, especially since tomorrow they were going to meet with all their friends again. Just one last time, before Halley and his mother left for America.

"Goodbye Mrs. Chadwick!" Alice called, waving to the elderly woman as she closed the door. "I think she likes you," she said to Yuri.

"She seems really friendly. All these people here seem nice," Yuri said. "All around nice town."

Alice smiled, glad to hear Yuri shared her opinion. "Isn't it great?"

"Boring," Yuri yawned.

Her look of happiness turned to one of irritation. True, it wasn't always the most exciting, but did he have to say that? Seeing her face, Yuri laughed and put his free arm around Alice, hugging her close. "I'm joking. It's not boring at all. This is a great town."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I really like this place. 'Cept for the clock."

Alice grinned remembering how many times he had shown up at her house looking like a seasick zombie because he couldn't sleep. "You should've gotten another place to stay."

"That was the only place I could afford," he said.

"You could've stayed with us," Alice said. "Mother would've let you stay in the guestroom."

"Your mom chased me out of the house the first time we met."

"What did you expect?" Alice asked him. "You were a bit too forward the first time. That and…" Alice knew another reason her mother would not have liked Yuri, but she didn't want to mention it. She didn't care about it, and it was trivial. "Well, it doesn't matter now. She likes—" A drop of rain splashed on Alice's hand and she looked up curiously. Rain clouds had come in their direction, despite their hopes. "It's raining."

"Just a little," Yuri said. At the moment it was just a small drizzle, rather refreshing in fact.

"Not enough to ruin the picnic," she agreed, slipping out of Yuri's hold and walking a few feet ahead of him. "Let's get to the park fast. Come on…see if you can catch me!" With that she gave a mischievous smile, rarely seen from her, and started running along the street toward the park.

"H-hey! Give me a fair warning," Yuri complained, already starting to run. "Alice, I have the basket!"

Still, Yuri was the faster runner. He chased Alice for five minutes as they made their way to the park, neither noticing as the rain became heavier. Most people were inside now and the streets were empty, but they continued the chase until Yuri grabbed Alice's shoulder with his free hand at the edge of the park.

He grinned with triumph. "Got you."

She smiled at him too, panting slightly to catch her breath. "Yeah." She checked her braid, making sure none of her white-blond hair had fallen out. "Wow, it's been a while since I've had to run like that."

Yuri laughed and said, "Yeah, how long's it been since you've been up against a monster? Almost five months now, right?"

Alice thought about the dates and nodded. "Almost. But you've kept busy." Ever since her father's death, Alice's mother was more protective of her daughter. She didn't practice exorcisms anymore. But Yuri continued hunting monsters. He needed the money. Also, he'd found it hard to get a job in Alice's town, so he might as well do something he was skilled at.

The rain came down harder and at last the two noticed that they were getting a little wet. It wasn't too bad, but if it got worse…

"Dammit," Yuri swore, looking up at the sky. "Stupid weather."

"Let's go under the gazebo. We won't get wet so much," Alice suggested, and they both jogged through the park, keeping near crabapple trees as they went to be covered. The wind picked up a little as they ran and it started to feel a little cold. Finally they reached the gazebo and watched as lightning struck for the first time.

"Looks like a storm," Alice said pessimistically. And here they were, stuck like idiots in the middle of it all.

"Well, we can still have a picnic under here," Yuri said, although he was a little pissed off about the weather too. He opened up the picnic basket and found ham sandwiches and some soup in a container with two small bowls for it. He shook out the picnic cloth and laid it out. "Hey Alice, aren't you hungry?"

She sat down, saying, "I'll have some of the soup." She shivered just a little bit.

Yuri looked up at her and realized that she had to be cold in her short blue dress [A/N: yes, the one from SH]. He gave her some of the thick soup and then took off his trench coat and put it around her shoulders. "Better?"

Even though she was now comfortable, Alice's blue eyes showed concern as she asked, "Won't you get cold?"

Yuri shook his head though and said, "My shirt's pretty warm." He wore a long-sleeved blue shirt that was still dry. For himself Yuri took a ham sandwich and proceeded to rip into it.

It was too funny for Alice; she was giggling as she asked, "Hungry?"

"Famished. Oh man, you would not believe what I've had to go through this week." This morning he had returned from a job in a nearby town where the people had been under attack from banshees. "Hordes of them. I was fighting against ten at the same time once. Turned out there'd been some kind of sick cult sacrificing girls that they thought were virgins. People can be idiotic as hell. I actually had to take out the cult AND keep the banshees back until they could get an exorcist from somewhere about a day away. A whole freaking day." And of course, Yuri emphasized the fact that he hadn't had much to eat. "They had only one restaurant and I swear that cook could burn water. Mmm, this soup is delicious," he mentioned as he started on his portion. "That reminds me, I have to buy more Thera root and Pure root. I used almost all of it up on myself."

"What about the Mana seed?"

"No, I've still got a good amount."

"So who was this exorcist?"

"Huh? Oh, her name's Lilia. You know what's weird?"

"What?" Alice was interested. Usually just an exorcist being female was odd enough; she should know, having been one.

"She's a little kid. I think she's even younger than Halley, and she's already fighting monsters on her own! Not only that, she's pretty powerful for her age. Those banshees just cleared out the minute they saw her." Yuri shook his head, having been clearly impressed by the exorcist. "You know what's even more strange? I never knew there was an exorcist of the Dark class. I'd never heard of it before. To be honest, I didn't think it was possible."

"A Dark class exorcist? I haven't heard of one either…she sounds like a pretty unusual girl…"

"The only thing that wasn't unusual was how hard she fell for me…" Yuri said with a big grin, waiting for Alice's reaction. He got it, a rather cold glare at him. Ignoring it, he continued, "Yep, it's the same with all the girls, they get a glimpse of the great Yuri Hyuga and they can't get enough of him."

"You have the largest ego ever," Alice muttered.

"Do I hear a note of jealousy?"

"You are hearing your head inflating with its own hot air."

"Ouch." Yuri pouted and said, "Come on, I'm just kidding. Don't get mad."

"I'm not mad," Alice said, her tone telling Yuri the exact opposite. For now he decided to change the topic.

"Doesn't look like the rain will stop anytime soon," he said after a minute. It was the most stupid topic in the world, the weather, but also the most infallible.

"This from the same person that said it probably wouldn't rain," Alice replied.

Yuri felt embarrassed and corrected himself. The weather was not an infallible topic. Especially not when Alice was annoyed with him. He looked around the park; there were a variety of trees and bushes but not a single person besides Alice and him. No one except Alice and him…

He waited until Alice seemed to have gotten in a better mood and said, "You know what's good about the rain?"

"What?" Alice said curiously. It was true that she had quickly forgiven Yuri; he liked getting her riled up like that often and she was used to it by now.

"No one's out here but us."

That was true. Alice couldn't imagine why anyone else would want to be outside in this weather. "So?"

"No one can see us. And your mother is not going to hear about this from anyone."

"About what? I already told her about the pic-" She stopped as Yuri leaned forward and kissed her. It was a short kiss before Yuri pulled back and winked at her.

"Does she have to hear about this?"

Alice was a little startled, but she was beginning to smile. Maybe there were some good things about rainy days. "No, I suppose not."

**

Dark fog covered the room's floor, but the girl inside could see perfectly well what was on it. She frowned as she studied the scene. Her mistress would not be pleased.

As if responding to her thoughts, the single door to the chamber opened and a beautifully slim figure with long and fiery red hair entered the room.

"I see. You are studying him again? Don't you think he is interesting?"

"Not for the same reasons as you find him so," the brunette responded. "But look. He is doing it. Again," she said, a note of contempt in her voice.

"Do not worry. It is nothing."

"But look at this girl. Her appearance and power…isn't it similar to Sa-"

"Don't you dare mention her name!" The taller woman made a movement almost to strike the smaller and younger one. The girl flinched, but the woman suddenly stopped and instead, gently stroked her cheek. "I am sorry, dear. I did not mean to frighten you. Do you forgive me?"

The girl opened her dark brown eyes and nodded. "Of course, milady. I apologize. I should not have mentioned her."

"All is forgiven," the woman said, smiling sweetly. She looked at the dark cloud of fog and said, "Besides, if it is truly her, then it may be all for the better. This time, she will get the punishment she earned last time. He will take care of her."

"But, milady…"

"Trust me. Trust me, Persephone."

**

8:30 p.m.

Alice checked the whole house again; making sure everything was clean and orderly. Both her mother and she had cleaned the large house and finally both agreed that only a miracle would approve its appearance. Not like it needed a miracle now. Alice figured that both her mother and she shared a tendency to nit-pick, but it was hard not to, seeing as how everyone would be coming over tomorrow.

Zhuzhen, Margarete, Halley, Koudelka and Keith. Just one more time…Just one last time…and then Halley and Koudelka would leave for America. Well, they'd have a whole week together. That would be long enough, right?

She remembered Yuri's comment when she had first proposed the idea: "Yep. We'll drive each other so insane they'll only be too happy to go."

Satisfied that everything was still as clean as it had been an hour ago, she went up the spiraling staircase and went towards the bathroom. She closed the door and turned the latch before taking off her skirt. Then she leaned over and turned the hot water on for a nice bath.

8:30 p.m. (Yuri)

Yuri meanwhile was still at the pub, trying to find out if there were any new rumors about monsters. He wasn't finding any.

He guessed that was a good thing, since everyone was coming over tomorrow. Heck, maybe the monsters had decided to have a holiday, just for them.

Yuri snorted as he waved away that thought. Yeah, that would be the day.

He decided to leave then. It was earlier then when he usually left, but there didn't seem to be anything really interesting going on. Besides, he probably shouldn't be looking for trouble right now. In most cases, trouble came to him easily enough. And not now, when everyone was coming over…

He drained off the last of his beer and left the money on the counter. Time to call it a day, and go home.

9:00 p.m. (Alice)

Alice finished pulling on her white nightgown with blue ribbons and lay down on her bed. Now that it was spring, the weather was getting warmer and now that the rain had stopped, it was quite nice.

She smiled contentedly as she buried her face into the pillow beneath her. Today had been very nice, but a little rare. Her mother was nice, but sometimes she could be a bit too overprotective of her daughter—especially when it came to boys. And usually Alice knew that if she tried anything her mother would hear about it from someone in town. Just kissing seemed impossible. Wait until you're married, yes, yes, she would do that. But there was nothing wrong with a few kisses. Well, maybe not just a few. But still, kisses.

__

Wait until you're married…Alice tossed a bit in her bed, considering this. She wanted—she was sure she wanted—to marry Yuri. But did he want to marry her? Did he love her?

__

Of course he does, Alice reassured herself. _He loves me, he shows it constantly_. About marriage though, she could not be so sure. She wasn't sure, she'd never asked—it'd be too rude—but he seemed to have been with many other girls before. Maybe he'd loved them all, and maybe—

She broke that trail of thought off before it would go too far. _Yuri has risked his life for me_, she thought. _Yuri fought against Atman with me, even though he didn't have to. He would not have done that for just any girl, right?_

Satisfied with that thought, she looked at the waning moon, small in its high place in the sky, and gently fell to sleep.

9:00 p.m. (Yuri)

Yuri stepped into the small, one-room flat. The bathroom was located at the end of the street, and heaven help you if you had to go during piss hour (which was around eleven or twelve, when the guys came back full of beer). The walls were bare of even paint and the place felt empty and desolate.

It was true that he didn't have to live here, he probably could move into Alice's house. And if he'd been using all his income, he could get a nicer place. Nothing like Alice's house, but still nice.

However, at the moment he was saving up money. He took the pay from his recent job and counted out ten percent of it. Then he set that aside in his little hiding place, underneath one of the more loose floorboards. There was already quite a bit in there, a little more, a few more months and…

Yuri smiled and covered the money up. Wait for the right time. Until then, he would just have to work a bit more. He yawned and took off his shirt, going over to his pile of blankets on the floor. He found the little trick that seemed to help him sleep through the clock, cotton balls, and stuffed them in his ears, then went to sleep.

(Alice's dream)

__

Fire…

__

There was fire all around me…

Bright, orange-red fire licking at my skin, burning it. I was screaming…I was screaming so loudly, with tears streaming down my face. I prayed for the smoke to choke me, choke me and make the suffering end…but there was no smoke…there was fire, but not a single puff of smoke. Perhaps it was a magical fire…but one so strong and powerful…

No…maybe this was Hell… Why though, what had I done that was so wrong, so evil? Please, this couldn't be…this could not be…

Through the agony, I became vaguely aware of someone else's presence. A presence that held such hate and contempt for me that it seemed to have no limit…such a strong feeling…

"Lucifer…" I breathed softly. The devil himself.

"No, that is another one. Try again."

A female voice. I tried to ignore the tremendous pain and asked, "Help me. Help me please."

"Oh, no. This is where you belong. I want you to burn for eternity," she said spitefully.

My voice cracked as I begged to know, "Why?"

"This is your fault, mortal. You brought this down on yourself. To trifle with a god…to trifle with me…is not a small matter at all."

"You…a goddess?"

"Those who know me best call me Goddess of the Hellfire. Once you were my enemy but now for this, you are my rival, and you shall suffer all the more for it." Responding to her words, the flame burned even more, and I screamed in pain and anguish—

**

"Alice! Alice! Please, wake up! Alice!"

My eyes flew open and I stared at my surprised mother. She relaxed slightly as she realized I was now awake and she wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.

"I heard you scream and I was so startled, dear…I thought someone had broken in…! What on earth were you dreaming about?"

I was limp in her embrace as I allowed myself to cry, feeling like a little girl. "I was in Hell. I was in Hell." My body still ached from the fire, even though it had only been a dream. My skin felt raw, and my back screamed bloody murder if mother pressed too hard. "Please…Mother, let go…" She did, reluctantly and I tried to focus my energy to heal myself. Gradually, the pain lessened until it was gone, but just thinking about it—

The clock struck and I realized it was one in the morning.

"I'm sorry Mother," I heard myself say. "It was just a dream. I'm sorry to have woken you up."

She stared at me with her hazel eyes and said, "If that dream actually hurt you Alice, I doubt it was just a dream."

"I'll be fine," I insisted. "Please, go back to bed. I'll be alright."

She sat with me for five more minutes and then left only reluctantly, leaving the light on still. I shut it off and lay back. I could understand her reluctance. I did not want to sleep. That dream had felt so real and been so painful…Almost like what it was like being in Yuri's Graveyard…

(Yuri's Dream)

__

I was standing in the graveyard. There was a woman in front of me.

"Who are you?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Why was I called here?"

None of the questions were answered. She only stepped forward and brushed my face gently.

"You're like her…Like both of them…"

"Don't you remember?"

"Try to remember…for me, Hyuga…"

"Do you still have the brooch I made you?"

"The brooch?" I asked. "What brooch?"

"The brooch I made for you…It was one of your favorite things…"

I looked at her, at her dark crimson eyes and fiery hair. She was pretty tall, almost as tall as me, and with skin pale and nearly translucent. "I would've remembered someone like you."

"There are many things you think you would remember. But she placed a spell on you. She took you away, Hyuga…"

"Who's she?" I asked curiously. "Is she someone I know?"

"But rest assured Hyuga…I **will** take you back."

**

I woke up and cursed as the clock struck one, cotton balls falling out of my ears. "Dammit, right in the middle of a dream too…what was that all about?" I wondered.

A/N: Yay! It took me like 4 days to write 7 crummy pages, but they're done! And then stupid fanfiction.net was being all pissy about formatting…

Now, let me see, there's something else I'm s'pose to say…The picnic scene comes from something I wanted to do for a different SH fanfic that is as of yet, nonexistent. The reason Yuri teases Alice is just because he seemed to me like the kind of person who likes ticking others off for fun. I do that kind of stuff all the time. If the mood seems a little inconsistent, bear with me here. **Before you review just to tell me my point of view keeps switching, I already know it does and did that on purpose. ** I experimenting here, okay?

If anyone is curious about why I started this fanfic, it's because no one else is updating their SH fanfics. For me, fanfiction.net's game section seems to be slowing down with updates (I check all my categories and there's only two new things that I like!). So, this is kind of my prod to get other people to start. I guess. I might do this in other categories too if this works (FFX needs a push, and Breath of Fire). I don't know. I usually have a whole bunch of ideas for fanfictions but I'm not a great writer, and I'm a procrastinator, so I don't really finish my fanfictions (although part of it is that fanfiction.net always gives me hell about the formatting).

****

Attention: If you've played SH (and if not, why are you here?) tell me what your highest ranking in the Score section is in the menu. The highest I've gotten is #7, which is one of the masks (I think Gold/Grail).

Of course then I realized I'd screwed my chance to get the Seraphic Radiance yet again, meaning I'm reloading my game at Kuihai tower (Dehuai's place, the place with the dirty magazine, etc). One day I'll get it… I SWEAR I WILL!!!

Okay. Shutting up.

****

This story assumes you got the good ending in Shadow Hearts and defeated Atman. It also assumes you got a certain item…

If you find any errors, inconsistencies with the game, tell me and I'll fix it… If you find any errors with the story and setting tell me and I'll try to fix it…And if you've read this far, I guess it doesn't hurt to ask: review!


	2. Keith and Margarete are here!

Disclaimer: Still don't own Shadow Hearts.  
~~  
Alice was trying to think if anyone living nearby was a photographer or had a camera. And there was also the problem of who had a darkroom. She wasn't having much luck thinking of anyone.  
  
"At least, not one who lives close enough. I want to take a picture of everyone, right when they get here. Do you know anyone, Yuri?"  
  
"No. Why do we need a photo?"  
  
"Because-because, for all we know, this will be the last time we'll all be together! So I want to have a picture. A picture would be nice," she murmured quietly.  
  
"Margarete sent a letter right? When's her train coming?"  
  
"Oh! Well, now that you mention it, she didn't say anything about taking a train. She said she was taking an airplane."  
  
Yuri blinked in surprise, remembering the last time she had flown an airplane. "She better not be the pilot or she's not getting here. Well, the others-any idea when they'll come?"  
  
"Um, Koudelka said her train should come in the evening, so Halley and she shouldn't be here before probably four-and Zhuzhen's taking a train too, but I think he'll actually get here sooner. He's had to travel a lot more than the others."  
  
"What about Keith?"  
  
"Well, he didn't say. He knows the date though." A thought suddenly occurred to Alice in her nervousness and she repeated, "He DOES know the date, right?" Alice was starting to panic now, pacing the floor next to the bookcase. "I told him in the letter and all-but what if he didn't get the letter? What if he doesn't know? Everyone has to come or this'll all-!"  
  
"Alice, Alice, calm down." Yuri grabbed her shoulders and forced her to stay still. "Don't worry. He'll come. Just wait and see-"  
  
Then they heard a screech and a yell from upstairs, making both Yuri and Alice look at the ceiling wonderingly. "Mother?!"  
  
Her mother came running downstairs, screamed something about a rat as she passed them, and ran into the kitchen.  
  
"The hell?" Yuri asked. Then Alice and he saw what had upset Mrs. Elliot so much as it came downstairs.  
  
It wasn't a rat, but a bat. Alice and Yuri had both had enough experience with bats to know it was a vampire bat. Without pausing to think of why a bat would be flying about during daylight, Alice grabbed a heavy book from the bookcase and ambushed the bat, whacking it to the floor. She was about to hit it again when-  
  
"Wait, wait!"  
  
She stopped and stared at the bat in surprise. "Keith?"  
  
In a flash of light, the bat quickly turned into the blonde nobleman. The two could only stare at their friend as he rubbed his head a bit and said, "You are quite deadly with a book, Alice."  
  
"Keith, in all your 400 years have you ever heard of KNOCKING?" Yuri demanded.  
  
He shrugged. "Of course; however, I wished to get here as quickly as possible. Has Margarete arrived yet?" Keith asked.  
  
"Nope, you're the first one here. Good thing too, Alice was freaking out about if you'd even come."  
  
"I wasn't sure you'd gotten the letter," Alice admitted. "You didn't send a reply."  
  
"I am sorry about that. The problem was I slept so late in my coffin," Keith told them. "I did not know about the party until a week ago. Unfortunately-" He stopped and corrected himself. "Fortunately-Although at the time-"  
  
"C'mon, spit it out Keith," Yuri said.  
  
"Well, Margarete was so kind," he said with just a touch of sarcasm, "as to make sure I would come to the party." At this point he looked a little irritated and then grinned a little, as if satisfied. "She is late."  
  
"She's not late really," Alice said. "Koudelka and Halley aren't even getting here until the evening."  
  
At this moment, the kitchen doors chose to burst open and Alice's mother came out, wielding a broom. She almost began storming up the stairs, but then she noticed there was a guest in the house. The broom dropped with a clatter and she seemed quite embarrassed.  
  
"Um, Mother," Alice said, "Are you alright?"  
  
The older woman blinked and gave a cry of surprise. "Oh, you're one of Alice's friends, aren't you! You must be Keith," she said, taking in his appearance and dress. "Why are you sitting on the floor?"  
  
"Al-"  
  
"Mother, you don't have to worry about the bat," Alice interjected. "We, um, we got rid of it."  
  
"Oh good. I hate bats, nasty little things, don't you?" she asked Keith.  
  
He opened his mouth, but he didn't know how to respond to this. He felt like he had just been insulted. "Well, I think they are rather fascinating."  
  
"Really? Do you study them?"  
  
"Actually, I can turn-"  
  
Yuri's foot then *accidently* slipped, kicking Keith's back. The vampire turned a glare to the Harmonixer and frowned as his friend shook his head slightly. They obviously did not want Mrs. Elliot to know that he was a vampire. "I have studied them a bit," he said.  
  
"Oh, that's very interesting. Could you please excuse me? I'm planning to go shopping soon," She said, and went upstairs.  
  
Keith stood up, turned to Alice and Yuri and demanded, "What was that about?"  
  
"Please, don't tell Mother you're a vampire," Alice pleaded. "As far as she knows, you're a nobleman who hired us for an exorcism."  
  
"And don't tell her about the real job," Yuri added.  
  
"What on earth is this about?" Keith asked again.  
  
"Well, you see...Mother knows a lot about exorcism and spirits, but not much about actual...monsters and demons and such. And, she would not like to hear that her daughter helped kill God and a few people and was kidnapped on quite a few occasions and used to summon a demon god. I think she'd try to exorcise me." Alice ran out of breath and took in a deep breath. "So-"  
  
"So basically, you couldn't tell her the whole story. And since you couldn't tell her that, you made up a new story," Keith said, seeing where this was going. "There must be a lot of editting in this story." She nodded.  
  
"Just remember, I never left Europe, alright? And no monsters. Just exorcism." She smiled at him, trying to make him feel less upset about the story changes. "Alright?"  
  
"It is no trouble," he said easily. After all, vampires had lived among humans for centuries without being discovered. What was a week? Suddenly something occured to him and he looked at Yuri. "Does she know about you?"  
  
Alice winced. "No, she doesn't. Um...I suppose we've got to tell her sometime, but...I don't think she'll take it very well."  
  
"Surely if she's handled spirits, the idea of someone being able to control and harness a spirit's power wouldn't be too foreign to her," Keith said.  
  
"But," Yuri said, gesticulating as he spoke, "If we tell her about the fusion, she'll probably hear about the Graveyard. If she hears about the Graveyard, she'll probably hear about the masks. And if she hears about the masks, she might hear about Atman."  
  
"Ah," said Keith. Just that. He was pretty sure any mother would go insane to hear that their child had come as close to sacrificing their soul as Alice had.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Would you like some tea, Keith?" Alice offered, remembering that if he had flown here as a bat, he was probably a little tired. Keith nodded, although Yuri did not seem nearly so pleased about the idea.  
  
"Is there any coffee?" Yuri asked her.  
  
"That stuff is disgusting."  
  
"Better than tea."  
  
"I don't see how you can even stand to drink it, let alone like it."  
  
This argument went on as they went to the kitchen. Their guest in back was able to see how at first they just walked close, but their hands eventually found each other and joined. Keith had an amused smile as he watched the two with his light blue eyes. They really were in love, it seemed. Margarete had been right.  
  
Although she was still going to be in serious trouble when she arrived.  
  
"What, Alice?" He said, suddenly realized Alice was talking to him.  
  
"I said, why didn't Margarete come with you?" she repeated, pouring water into the kettle and setting it on the stove. "Did she have something else that she needed to do?"  
  
"More bombings?" Yuri guessed. All three heard the door open and close as Alice's mother left to go shopping.  
  
The vampire frowned and looked at the door. "She proposed...a race. To see which one of us would get to your house first. There is a little prize for the winner." He scowled heavily.  
  
"What's with that Keith? I mean, if there's a prize, shouldn't it be good? You did win after all," Yuri pointed out.  
  
There came a knock at the door and Keith said, "That should be her." With that, he stood next to the door but made no move to open it. Alice and Yuri followed him, and although a little puzzled by Keith's behavior, Alice gave him nothing more but a puzzled look before she opened the door.  
  
In strode Margarete, looking flashy as always in a tight blue dress and her hair down, instead of in its usual ponytail. For once she had given up her gun, probably only because there was no place to conceal it-except in probably one of her two overstuffed bags. Instead, she had a sheath around her waist, one that looked familiar.  
  
"Margarete, why do you have Keith's sword?" Yuri asked.  
  
She just grinned slyly, her eyes with a mischievious glint in them. "Is he here yet?"  
  
From behind the door, two hands grabbed her shoulders, making her jump in surprise. "Margarete," Keith said in a voice that suggested he was about to lose patience, "I would like my sword back. Now."  
  
After the blonde had recovered from her shock, she sighed and said, "Damn, it's such an awesome sword too...But I guess you won. Here's your prize." She held out the sheath and sword to have them snatched away. Keith checked over them both, seeing if any damage had been done to either.  
  
"The prize was his sword?"  
  
"And what were you doing this time, Ms. Spy Genius?" Yuri asked Margarete.  
  
She shrugged innocently. "Well you know, I was passing over Blue Castle to get here and I decided to check on Keith. And guess what Keith was doing, only a week ago? SLEEPING! I kept telling him to wake up, get out of the coffin, if you don't you're going to miss the party-and he just keeps on sleeping! He rolled around a bit, muttered some stuff about garlic and bad breath, and he would not wake up.  
  
"So then, I just took his sword and left a little note saying that if he didn't beat me to your guys's house, I was going to keep it. I think I left it in Steven's coffin."  
  
"That was my father's. He is a lighter sleeper and when he found that..." Keith could barely suppress a shudder. "I wished that I was fighting God on my own."  
  
"He's that bad?" Yuri asked incredulously.  
  
"That sword is a family heirloom. It has been passed down, vampire to vampire, for millenia."  
  
"But hey," Margarete said, "It woke you up." Keith glared at her and she seemed to shrink. "Um, never mind." She turned to Alice and asked, "Where do I put my things?"  
  
"Oh, just put them upstairs. In my room, the room on the right. And Keith, you're down here in the guestroom with Zhuzhen and Halley. Wait..." She trailed off as she realized something. Keith had traveled here as a bat. Meaning, he couldn't possibly have brought anything with him. "Where's all your things?" she asked, knowing and fearing the answer.  
  
Keith's eyes widened and he groaned, resting his head in his hands. "I was in such a hurry. That was the last thing on my mind."  
  
"Well..." Yuri sized Keith up and nodded. "It's not that bad. You could probably wear some of my clothes." He stood up and said, "I'll just go get some stuff right now. Alright?" He opened the door and called out "Bye!" before leaving.  
  
~~  
  
A/N: Short chapter...I was stuck a bit in dialogue mode. This chapter has a lot of conversation, doesn't it? I thought it'd probably be easier on myself to just break up the chapter I originally had planned (basically everyone arrives) into two parts. So count on more arrivals in the next chapter too (Zhuzhen and Halley and Koudelka).  
Thanks to both Delka and Greyfriars, my first two reviewers!  
Not too much progress in storyline...hopefully next time?  
Fanfiction.net is still stupid about formatting. 


	3. Zhuzhen's here, and::bonks head into mon...

Disclaimer: Still...nope. Trying to negotiate rights to Yuri, but it's not going too well.  
  
**  
  
It was amazing how much a simple gesture could sicken you to your stomach. As the girl bowed to her mistress, as was expected of her, she realized she was also bowing to him. Since they were treating each other as equals, to bow to one meant to acknowledge the other as superior as well.  
  
A scowl twisted her face. Not to him. He wasn't even worthy of Regina's attention. The only reason he was in this room was because the other Dreamers were too wary to be involved with an affair concerning a mortal, let alone two.  
  
Still, she remained bowed, both to Regina and the Dreamer Pan, before deciding that she had shown the respect due to them. Her. Not him.  
  
"First, I would like to thank you, Pan, for helping me."  
  
"Heh heh." He had a rather rough laugh, noisy and rowdy. "I liked the girl's better. Interesting world, may I say."  
  
"Unfortunately, from now on it'll only be Hyuga."  
  
"Damn." The dreamer scratched absently at his face and finally asked, "You really think it's him this time? And her, why would she come back?"  
  
"Perhaps one of them foresaw his return and decided to use her again. After all, she did manage to win the last time." Her lips twisted in a frown. "Not this time though."  
  
"And him? Hyuga? Are you certain? He seems like a mortal to me."  
  
Persephone wanted to argue, but kept her mouth shut. Just how blind could he be? she wondered, though careful to keep her face blank.  
  
"Persephone says he is the one. That is all I need." Persephone's chest filled with the praise, the implied trust in her judgement. Regina could always count on her. She would make sure of that.  
  
"As for little Pers...I was wondering if next time my payment could be..." He raised his eyes meaningfully and the girl found herself shuddering.  
  
"It will be made in the customary metals," Regina told him, and he scowled.  
  
"I found her, Regina."  
  
"She serves under me now, Pan. If you can't accept the fact that a ten-year-old got away from you even after four years..."  
  
"It wouldn't have been so bad if she wasn't a bastard halfling," he muttered, and immediately wished he hadn't.  
  
Regina was now angry. It was well known Persephone was one of her favored servants, and an insult to Persephone was an insult to her. Fire curled about her body like snakes, their tongues coming off her finger and licking Pan as she pointed it at him.  
  
"Pan, leave now..." She hissed menacingly, seeming to have grown four feet in height, "and maybe I won't burn your body from the inside out..."  
  
Pan was already backing away from the angry goddess, and when she screamed, "NOW!" causing flames to rush at him in her temper, he ran. And fast.  
  
**  
  
Now that the tea was ready, Alice, Keith, and Margarete were each drinking some in the dining room, and discussing what they should do for the week.  
  
"There's nothing set really," Alice said. She sipped on some of her tea and continued. "Picnics, stuff like that..."  
  
"It would be nice to have some relaxing time together," said Keith. "We never did do much of that." He sat on Margarete's right, but was making sure to keep the sword close and away from her.  
  
Margarete herself drained her tea and then sat forward, examining Alice from across the table. "What's wrong?" Alice asked, noticing the stare.  
  
"You don't have a ring," she said bluntly. "He hasn't asked you?"  
  
"Oh, Yuri...asked me...no."  
  
"Geez, how slow can that kiddo be?" Margarete said.  
  
"It hasn't been that long!"  
  
"Well, yeah, but he seems like the kind of guy who'd be like, one month and you're hitched!"  
  
Alice choked and spat out her tea, no longer lady-like. "Margarete!"  
  
"What?! Am I not right Keith?"  
  
Keith was staring at her with something akin to disbelief. "A month seems...a bit short, don't you think? Even Yuri would be wise enough to wait a while."  
  
"Even???"  
  
Margarete snorted derisively. "Come on, this is Yuri. You know how impulsive he is."  
  
"Marriage is not just any little thing to be impulsive about!"  
  
Alice sighed. "I don't know," she said, discouraged. What Margarete was saying really did make some sense.  
  
The argument which had been building up died. "What do you mean, you don't know?" Margarete asked with concern.  
  
"It's just that, you're right. Yuri does seem like he would decide really quick. But...he hasn't. We've talked about it before...just about our futures...I'm not sure," she finished.  
  
"Well...you know...it might just be nervousness," Margarete said, now trying to be helpful. "Some guys just freeze up when marriage is mentioned. That might be it."  
  
"It's a huge commitment, after all," Keith said.  
  
"Yeah...I guess you guys are right," Alice said. "I don't know why I'm getting all worked up about it." She glanced at the grandfather clock and said, "Zhuzhen will probably come next. It's two right now, so in an hour or so..."  
  
**  
  
Meanwhile, Yuri was gathering clothes in his room. At first he had made a conscious effort to find some of the nicer clothes, clothes that he could actually see Keith wearing. Needless to say, he soon gave up on that and just focused on getting clean clothng.  
  
After a half hour of ransacking a one room flat, he had four shirts and two pairs of pants. He sighed and thought, Keith will just have to live with this.  
  
**  
  
Yuri crossed the street, walking back to Alice's house. Many of the people he passed gave him small smiles, knowing him well enough to greet him but not enough to make small chat.  
  
He passed the train station and on his way through, happened to see a familiar face getting off, holding one trunk.  
  
"Hey old man, don't break your back with that," he yelled, getting both Zhuzhen's attention and ire. He found a staff being directed at him and soon after his head was hurting.  
  
"Hmph. Show me a little more respect," the elder one muttered and looked over the clothes Yuri was carrying. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Keith forgot his clothes. Long story, involving Margarete. So, long ride?"  
  
"My muscles are all cramped," the Adept complained.  
  
"I didn't know you had muscles." That earned him another hit on the head. "Ow..."  
  
Zhuzhen snorted and then traded Yuri the clothes to carry for the trunk, which was a bit heavy.  
  
"Margarete brought two of these massive things over."  
  
"Heh, sounds like her."  
  
They walked along in silence a little. Zhuzhen was examining the new surroundings, and smiling faintly in approval. Meanwhile Yuri was wondering about a question he'd been thinking about for a while, but debating whether he wanted the answer or not.  
  
"How's your work in Shanghai?" Yuri finally asked, trying to make it sound like a casual question. It'd been more than a year since he'd seen it and he hoped that the city was starting to get over the Seraphic Radiance's attack.  
  
"Not too pleasant," Zhuzhen admitted, "But we're getting there. The most urgent matters have been taken care of. There are still some souls that won't rest easy still, but they're being taken care of. Zhen helped a bit by summoning powerful monsters to combat weaker ones sometimes," he said.  
  
Yuri raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't really sound too safe..."  
  
"He has good control over the monsters, and he can get rid of them as soon as they've done their job. Now, if Sharon was doing it..."  
  
They both shuddered. She'd either do nothing--which was the better alternative--or unleash them all over the city on innocent people.  
  
"Well, Halley should know if she's learned how to control it better."  
  
"Is Koudelka taking care of all of them?" Zhuzhen asked.  
  
"Yeah, they don't really want to be separated...though, I don't know what they'll do after Halley leaves." Yuri stopped in front of the large white house and said, "We're here." He walked up the path with Zhuzhen following behind, then knocked on the door. Alice opened it and said, "Hi Yuri-Zhuzhen, you came! Good timing!"  
  
"Why?" Both asked.  
  
"Mother brought the food, but um...the stove's not really working."  
  
Zhuzhen shook his head. He'd been in these kind of situations and he knew what the outcome was going to be. "You want me to use my fire magic for cooking?" he said, a bit incredulously.  
  
"Please? Please? I want the food to be ready for when Koudelka and Halley come."  
  
"Come on Zhuzhen, be a good sport," Yuri said with a smirk.  
  
He glared at the younger man. "Why don't you just turn into Ifrit then and YOU start the fire?"  
  
"No! Are you kidding? If Mrs. Elliot sees me as Ifrit she'll freak!"  
  
Alice's eyes widened. "I forgot to tell Margarete!" She ran inside and they could hear her ask, "Margarete, would you come outside please?"  
  
Zhuzhen looked at Yuri in confusion. "What exactly is going on?"  
  
He scratched the back of his head. This was starting to get complicated very quickly. "Um, let's wait till they get here. We'll explain then."  
  
**  
  
When they were done explaining, Zhuzhen and Margarete just stared at them. "Well, I can see your point," Zhuzhen said. "But don't you think you should tell her anyway? She is familiar with exorcism. She probably knows a thing or two about monsters."  
  
"Yes, but..." Alice looked at the door, which they had shut behind them to make sure her mother didn't hear. "Since Father's death, she's been very protective of me. She worries a lot. And if she heard about...certain events, I don't think I'd ever be able to leave her sight again."  
  
Zhuzhen nodded. "You're probably right. Why not?" He asked Margarete as she shook her head.  
  
"No, it's just...you made a lot of changes," she pointed out. "Slip up once and if she catches it, the whole thing comes undone." She only sighed as Alice and Yuri exchanged nervous looks. "Oh well, nothing you can do about that now."  
  
"Thanks for the reassurance," Yuri said irritably.  
  
"You're welcome," she replied cheerfully. "Oh, Alice..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Would you mind if I used your bath?"  
  
"No, go ahead. The towels are in the closet next to the bathroom, on the left."  
  
"Thanks." Before she left, she looked at the clothes Zhuzhen still carried and grinned. "I've got to see Keith in this." Then, she walked back in the house, happily humming.  
  
Yuri looked after her, and then his eyes widened with sudden enlightenment. "Oh..."  
  
"What?" Zhuzhen asked.  
  
"Nothing, nothing. Well, you're the cook Zhuzhen, get in there!"  
  
"What about Mrs.-"  
  
"Oh, she's seen fire magic before, and like you said she knows a bit about exorcism. She's known a few Adepts," Alice said. "That's fine."  
  
Zhuzhen grumbled, resigned to his fate as cook, and handed Yuri the clothes, which he balanced with the trunk. He walked inside, Alice and Yuri following him.  
  
"Heads up Keith!" Yuri yelled, throwing the clothes to a startled Keith. "Eh, sorry, I need to get my clothes washed before you can borrow more."  
  
Keith just looked at the clothing that he'd caught with a dubious expression. Yuri caught the expression and said, "Nope, I don't have any fancy clothes like you do. Just put some on."  
  
"Alright." Keith left and went off to the guest room and Mrs. Elliot looked at Yuri.  
  
"He forgot his clothing?"  
  
"Yeah, well, he lost his luggage on the way..."  
  
"Oh! Then, he'll need some new ones for the trip back won't he?"  
  
"I guess..." Yuri replied uncertainly. If he turned into a bat, no he wouldn't, but he couldn't say that.  
  
Mrs. Elliot smiled, knowing a new project to start on now, and stepped out of the room. Yuri groaned as he realized she was going to the sowing room. Once in there, it'd only take the house on fire to get her out until she finished.  
  
Which, from the sounds in the kitchen, could be provided by Zhuzhen soon.  
  
He groaned and sat down on the sofa, only to jump back up when he heard Halley's voice.  
  
Hey...Hey! Yuri, take...look...clock...  
  
Yuri looked up in curiosity at the grandfather clock in the living room. 10 minutes after 5. And this was important why...?  
  
testing...telepathy...cool, huh?  
  
No, not cool. Yuri was considering hurting Halley when he arrived. He was testing telepathy on him, the only one who always got a migraine from it?  
  
Yuri suddenly realized something as he thought about that. His head wasn't hurting. It felt fine. None of the fusion souls were acting up at Halley's voice. Weird...  
  
But Halley's voice kept going on about how he was testing telepathy, and Yuri suddenly realized he'd probably been doing this for a while on the train ride and would keep it up for a while. Must be testing his range, he thought absently. That's why he mentioned the clock, so he would know what time I heard him at.  
  
Trying to distract himself from Halley's voice, he entered the kitchen, where Alice was just staring at a too large fire while Zhuzhen was trying to get it under control. He wasn't having much luck though. Before the food--meat, potatoes, and peas--got burned, Yuri did the obvious, taking a bowl, filling it with water, taking the food out of the stove, and pouring out the fire.  
  
"Great. Now I've got to start over," Zhuzhen grumbled.  
  
"Just don't burn down the house," Yuri told him, putting the bowl back in the cabinet. As Zhuzhen started the chant again, Yuri tapped on Alice's shoulder, startling her. "What's wrong?" he asked.  
  
She looked up at him with wide blue eyes, then looked back to where there was now just a small fire. In her mind it had seemed so large, like it could consume the whole kitchen, everything...  
  
"Hey, Alice. Don't zone out on me. What's wrong?"  
  
She shuddered and then said, "It's hard to explain..."  
  
"Well, come on. Let's leave the chef to his job." Zhuzhen snorted at the remark but said nothing.  
  
Alice felt grateful as he led her away by the hand. Watching the fire, she had felt transfixed, her body frozen. She shook her head, feeling a bit irritated. What was wrong with her? It was just a dream...right? Unless her mother had been right...  
  
"Come on," Yuri said, sitting on the sofa. "What's wrong? You were acting like a zombie or something."  
  
Alice looked around the room and said, "I...Last night, I had a nightmare. That I was in Hell, I think."  
  
"You think?"  
  
"Well, there wasn't a devil or anything. Just a woman. She said she hated me, wanted me to burn. She said I was her rival." Alice thought about it and murmured softly, "but I don't know anyone who would hate me that much."  
  
"Like you said. It was just a dream," Yuri said confidently.  
  
"But...when I woke up, I was still in pain for awhile, before I healed myself," Alice said. "I don't know...it reminded me of your Graveyard." And she stopped, because when she had said 'Graveyard', Yuri's eyes had widened. "What is it?"  
  
"Did you recognize any of it as the Graveyard?"  
  
She thought about it, but shook her head. When she thought about it, there had been nothing except flame. Perhaps there had been nothing beyond or beneath. "Why? Did something happen...?" she trailed off as Yuri nodded.  
  
"I had a dream in the Graveyard last night."  
  
"You went there?" Alice asked. She thought that the Malice had been taken care of for good since they defeated Atman, but there was a chance...  
  
"No. Someone called me. There was a woman. She was tall, with long red hair. Pale. And the weirdest thing was her eyes. They were red, like her hair but darker."  
  
A chill went down Alice's spine. The description seemed somehow all too familiar...and evil. "What did she say?"  
  
"She said I'd forgotten her...mentioned a spell, and a brooch." He shook his head. "I'd never seen a woman like her before, and I've never been given a brooch. Nothing specially for me. She said she'd made it for me."  
  
"Yes...the Flare Brooch...remember? It reacts only to you, doesn't it?"  
  
Yuri looked at her, confused. "Well, it does react only to Harmonixers, but...we got that from that innkeeper's grandson in Dalian."  
  
"But, I've always wondered..." Alice started, trying to get him to see her point. "If it only reacts to Harmonixers, wouldn't it make sense that it was made for a Harmonixer? What was it doing in Dalian?"  
  
"Don't know," Yuri said, shaking his head. "Maybe a Hyuga was in Dalian at one point. Why does it matter? As long as I know it wasn't from the woman."  
  
"Did she give you her name?" Alice asked.  
  
"I wanted to ask...but the clock woke me up. Man, one is really too early to be waking up," he complained.  
  
"O-one?"  
  
Yuri stood up and over her, "Alice, what's wrong?" She had turned a bit pale and looked very surprised.  
  
"My dream happened...just before the clock struck one," she told him.  
  
"You mean...our dreams happened at the same time? Couldn't it be just coincidence?"  
  
She smiled weakly at him. "What are the chances of that?"  
  
Yuri could only shake his head as he considered them. Pretty slim...slim indeed.  
  
Luckily, they were not allowed to stay in this mood for too long. Keith came out of the guest room, having finally chosen some clothes that were a bit decent in his opinion. It was actually one of Yuri's favorites, the red shirt with black pants.  
  
"Hey, looks like they fit pretty well," Yuri said, welcoming the distraction. "How do they feel?"  
  
Alice could only stare at him before starting to laugh. It looked funny, him still trying to look a bit noble in clothes that clearly were not. "Yuri, where's your trench coat? I want to see it on him," she giggled.  
  
"They fit alright," Keith said sullenly.  
  
"The trench coat's at the flat, and I am not giving him that," Yuri said, "Anyways, I think your mom is starting to make him some clothing."  
  
"Oh no. She's in the sowing room?"  
  
"She's in the sowing room," he confirmed. "Oh, and I think Koudelka and Halley are getting here soon."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Halley's been talking to me." Alice was about to ask how, before realizing what he meant. She tilted her head as she asked,  
  
"And you don't have a headache?"  
  
Yuri shrugged. "Hey, works for me. You want me to go meet them at the train station?"  
  
"I'll come with," she said, smiling. "Zhuzhen, you take care of dinner!" She laughed as some grumbled response came back and grabbed Yuri's arm. "Come on. I haven't gotten out yet today."  
  
"Alright. Keith, you want to come with?"  
  
Keith was still looking down at his clothing. "No thank you."  
  
Yuri only rolled his eyes before opening the door, and both of them walked out towards the train station.  
  
**  
  
A/N: Keith: The Ken Doll of the 19...something...s...darn. I forget, when does Shadow Hearts take place? I think in the beginning they say 1913 or 1914...and then later on they say...15 years ago, 1889...problem.  
  
1889+15=1904  
  
1914-15=1899  
  
...? I don't know, maybe I just read one of the dates wrong, or maybe they had an error in there.  
  
Writing this chapter, I realized something: I cannot...can not...cannot...write cannot now that I'm trying to. I also can't (good abbreviation!) write suspense. The first time I wrote this chapter, I think I gave away half the plot. Which is not a good thing. And this time, I don't think I gave enough, but I can always fix that later, right?  
  
Um...Halley doesn't cause headaches for Yuri? [For a minute, let's assume SH's creators are perfection itself and do not make mistakes, in spite of anachronisms and screwy dates.] Koudelka always causes Yuri's headaches with the telepathy, so it makes sense that Halley would.  
  
However, in the mental hospital, Koudelka gives Yuri a headache by using her power (I can't say anything about Nemeton, because I haven't seen that part in a while). But the times Halley goes out of control with his power, Yuri doesn't get a headache.  
  
???  
  
Is that right, or are my facts wrong...?  
  
What the heck, my storyline. I can adapt that to it.  
  
Who hasn't picked up the Flare Brooch in Dalian? It's one of the easiest things to get. After you defeat the monsters at night, before you leave on the boat, go to the inn's basement and talk to the grandson (the little kid). He moves and lets you take the Flare Brooch, which is actually a pretty neat accessory. Only Yuri can equip it, but it raises his attack and defense stats, and decreases SP consumption from a fusion by a quarter. Nifty.  
  
And yes, it is the item this story assumes is in your possession. If you have it, check out the description. It might reveal a lot about this plot.  
  
Yuri: I don't think you should've told them that.  
  
Ah, screw it. They probably would've checked that anyway.  
  
Read and review? Thanks again to Greyfriars and Delka (Yay!). And to Dalhallyn. Sorry, I didn't realize my settings didn't allow anonymous reviews. I've changed it so you can review without logging in, but please leave some kind of name so I can acknowledge who reviewed!  
  
Yuri: Hey, the hell...? You've reviewed with no name.  
  
Shut up.  
  
Yuri: And when did I get in the A/N section? You still don't have the rights to me!  
  
Aw...do I have to...?  
  
Yuri: (starts rocking around in the chair he's tied to) Let me go! Let me go!  
  
You know, you could always just fuse and then...never mind, I didn't say anything.  
  
Yuri: (fuses with Seraphic Radiance and shreds chair and rope) Free at last! Free at last!  
  
SERAPHIE!  
  
Yuri: Oh hell. You know it's bad when they've got a nickname for it. (flies out the window)  
  
Oh...shoot. I have to learn when to keep my mouth shut.  
  
Good news! I am now #29 in my new game. I just got to Shanghai. I have a ring perfect rate of 41.something-  
  
Yuri: And a ring success rate of 91.something-  
  
Shuddup! You have to make sacrifices sometimes. And why are you back?  
  
Yuri: (shrugs) Felt like annoying you. Have you figured out the plot for the rest of the story?  
  
Umm...  
  
Yuri: (yells) Hey Alice, I was right! We're doomed!  
  
Would you ever so kindly just SHUT UP?!  
  
Yuri: Eep! (runs away)  
  
Um...anything else? If I've written anything contradictory to myself or the game, please tell me. Sorry the update wasn't as quick as I promised. The brain would not cooperate. 


	4. Dinner and another dream

**Disclaimer:  **(How long will I be typing this?)  Don't own Shadow Hearts.  The only character owned is Persephone.

**

            Yuri and Alice had waited for about thirty minutes before the train pulled in.  The sun was just beginning to set, casting long shadows.

            Yuri yawned and stretched as he stood.  "Good.  I wanna go eat."  His stomach growled to confirm this and he stopped midstretch.

            Alice giggled.  "Don't worry, they're probably just as hungry as you are."

            They watched as some people got off.  Usually this was just a stop on the way to other stations; not too many people actually got off.  A couple got off that Alice called out to; she explained to Yuri that they were coming back from their honeymoon.  A blonde woman with a young baby got off, and then after a minute, Koudelka came, followed by a boy.  And another boy.  And two girls.

            "Uh, Alice, I thought it was just supposed to be Koudelka and Halley," Yuri said.

            Alice shook her head, looking a bit concerned.  "Apparently not."

            Joshua, Sharon, and Chris followed Halley and Koudelka off the train.  Yuri cupped his hands around his mouth and called, "Over here!"  Alice waved as they looked and Halley started running towards them.  He stopped in front of Yuri and demanded, "Time?"

            "5:10, and hello to you too," Yuri said a little sarcastically.

            Halley looked crestfallen at hearing the time.  "That wasn't very far away…"

            "Well it would've worked earlier if you'd concentrated more.  And for your first time, it was pretty good," his mother told him, standing farther away.  "Hello, Yuri, Alice."

            "Hello Koudelka," Alice said.  She indicated the other children and asked, "Didn't you say you were leaving them with Carl?"

            "We changed our minds.  They wanted to come with, so…I thought I told you in the last letter," Koudelka said, looking puzzled.

            "I don't remember that.  When did you send the letter?"

            "A week ago."

            "Then it should have come by now, but…I don't think I've gotten any since Margarete's."

            "It wouldn't be the first time they've lost a letter," Yuri muttered.  "But your house isn't that big.  Where are they going to sleep?" he asked Alice.

            "We can sleep anywhere," Joshua said, not knowing why they were making such a fuss about it.

            Chris turned to him and said, "But we have to stay with an adult now.  Remember what Halley's mom said?"

            "Yeah, yeah…"

            "Why don't they sleep in your flat?" Alice suggested to Yuri.  "There's room."

            The Harmonixer did a double take before exclaiming, "No way!  The flat's a mess.  There's no room for anything."  He was also a little uncomfortable with the idea that one of them might find the stash under the boards.  That might cause a few problems.

            "Oh, is it?"  Alice asked, raising an eyebrow at him.  "Guess I'll have to clean it again," she said cheerfully.

            Damn.  If she found it, then there'd definitely be problems.

            Besides that, she also had the reductionist approach to cleaning.  Everything that she judged as unnecessary and junk would be thrown out.  The last time she'd cleaned out, he'd lost a lot of little trifles he liked.  Nothing special, just enough to irk him and, he suspected, make sure he'd keep the flat clean from then on.

            Except he hadn't, and it was a mess, and now, three or four kids to add…"Is Halley staying in your house?"

            "What do you want Halley?" she redirected the question.

            "I'm staying with them," he said firmly.

            Four kids in a flat.  "I lose the roof over my head and the shirt off my back in the same day, huh?" he said jokingly.

            "Who said you're not staying with them?  They have to be with an adult," Alice said.

            "I have to play babysitter?" he moaned.

            She glared at him.  "Yuri…"

            "Alright, alright!  But when we get there, I'll need to clean first.  So none of you come in until I say so," he said, looking at all four kids to make sure they understood.

            "Sure," Halley said.  The others nodded and he sighed.

            "Zhuzhen should be done with dinner by now, I suppose," Alice said.

            "He's cooking?" Halley asked.

            "Yeah, the oven wasn't working," Yuri confirmed.  Halley smirked, just thinking of Zhuzhen slaving and muttering over the stove, probably swearing occasionally.

            "Is everyone else here?" Koudelka asked.

            Yuri nodded and then turned to Halley, giving him a suspicious look.  "By the way Halley, what made you test telepathy on **me?"**

            Halley had an innocent smile.  At least, it would seem innocent if you didn't know him.  That smile was proof he'd tried to get a headache from Yuri.  "So what'd the souls do?" he asked.

            "Actually…" Yuri started with a frown.  It then turned into a smirk as he said triumphantly, "They didn't do a thing.  Looks like you can't rouse them."

            Halley looked surprised by this and he said, "But Mom does…Why didn't it work for me…?"

            "Oh, so you tried to give me a headache on purpose, huh?"  Yuri turned and said, "Koudelka, do you know who your son tested his skills on?"

            "Uh oh," Halley said.

            "He tried it on me."  This maneuver had all the maturity of a seven-year-old, so Koudelka didn't pay much mind to it.

            In fact, she looked at him and said, "So?"

            Yuri was clearly irritated with this answer while Halley just laughed.  Behind them, Alice shook her head.  Yuri could act like such a little kid.  "Let's just go back to eat.  By the way, I need to tell you all something…" she began, and then began to explain the rules of what could **not** be told to Mrs. Elliot.

**

            "Looks…interesting…" Yuri said slowly.  Zhuzhen looked like he wanted to throw a few fireballs across the table at him, but in truth this was about the most polite (and true) statement to be made.  The food was now blackened bits and ashes.  Everyone looked at their plates dubiously.

            "…"  Alice put a bit of her steak (or was it the potatoes?  Not even Zhuzhen could tell) on her fork.  She cautiously put the fork in her mouth, and everyone could see her wince, but she began chewing.  After a minute, she swallowed and started on another bite.  Then a third.  Everyone began wondering if she was a masochist.

            "Well…?" Margarete asked.

            "It's…Well, it's very…Excuse me," she said, pushing away from the table and running upstairs.  After a few moments, they heard the sounds of someone vomiting and glared at Zhuzhen.

            "Trying to poison us, huh," Margarete said, propping her head on her hand.

            "I can provide the fire, but I can't cook," he groaned.  "I give up.  Meiyuan was the cook when we traveled together."

            "Who's Meiyuan?" Joshua asked from across the room.  The younger ones were sitting on the floor for dinner, seeing as there was no room for them at the table.

            Halley shuddered and said, "Someone you'll only meet in your nightmares."

            "Now, that doesn't seem very nice.  Yuri, didn't you say you knew him?  What's he like?" Mrs. Elliot asked.

            Both Yuri and Zhuzhen said, "Someone he'll only meet in his nightmares," in chorus.

            "He is a very unique fellow," Keith said, which could be construed either positively or negatively.

            "You're a very unique fellow," Yuri said in a tone that was aggravated.  "Why didn't he ever bother you?"  An idea suddenly occurred to him and he buried his face in his hands.  "Don't answer that!  Don't answer that!"

            Keith could only raise an eyebrow at Yuri's action.  "Now who is the unique fellow?"

            Margarete seemed surprised.  "Wait, wait.  Are you serious?  Keith are you really…" she trailed off, realizing that both Sharon and Joshua had moved closer to the table.  It was not an appropriate conversation for little children.

            "Am I what?" the vampire asked, confused, but Margarete just shook her head, glancing surreptitiously at the two children.  Keith was still puzzled but decided not to pursue the subject.

            Alice came back down at that moment, looking pale.  "Are you alright?" Yuri asked, looking up at her and seeing her face.

            She covered her face with one hand and waved away the concern with the other.  "I feel fine.  Just…I don't think I'm going to eat anymore."

            It was obvious to everyone that she wasn't feeling fine and Koudelka said, "Maybe you should rest?"

            "Yes…I think I'll go to bed…I've already set out my place on the floor…"  her voice faded into vague mumblings as she back upstairs.

            Yuri shook his head and said, "Good job Zhuzhen."

            "Shut up."  The Adapt laid his head down on the table and muttered again, "Just shut up."

            "Well, there's the food in the pantry," Mrs. Elliot offered, being a polite hostess.

            "Yeah, and after that, me and the kids'll get out of your way," Yuri said.

            "Hey!  Kids?!"

            "Yeah, kids, or would you prefer 'babies'?"

            "What?"

            Koudelka sighed inwardly, listening to the insult contest that ensued.  You really had to pity Mrs. Elliot.  She probably had expected something totally different when her daughter suggested a nice week-long reunion for her friends.

**

            "Are you done yet?"

            "No."

            Five minutes later.  "Are you done yet?"

            "No."

            Five more minutes of walking around the hallway.  "Now?"

            "No," Yuri replied, his voice sounding a little strained.

            This time Joshua waited only a minute before asking again.

            "Are you done-"

            "Darn it, no!  Shut up Joshua, I'll tell you when I'm done!"

            Yuri knew he was being a little harsh to yell at the kid.  But please, he was going to go berserk if he heard the question 'Are you done yet' one more time.

            He dragged his mattress across the floor so that it covered the loose board and set it down.  Then he laid out blankets for each kid.

            Okay.  Stash hidden.  Check.  Bedding.  Check.  Clean room?  He'd stuffed everything in the closet.  Check.

            He opened the door.  Sharon was playing with a doll.  Joshua was running up and down the hallway.  Halley and Chris were talking, although Chris seemed to be doing more of the talking.  Their bags lay next to each other next to the door.

            "You can come in now," he said.

            "Yay!"  Joshua ran into the flat and, as might be expected, jumped onto Yuri's bed.  Yuri could feel his eyebrow twitching.  "I get the mattress!"

            "I don't think so," Yuri corrected.  "The boys are on this side," he said, pointing to his left.  "The girls are next to the door.  The mattress is mine, so no more jumping on it, okay?"

            Joshua responded to this with more jumping on the bed.  Yuri was starting to think that there'd be one less London Rat very soon.

            Luckily, Halley dropped his backs, grabbed Joshua and wrestled him to his bed before Yuri snapped.  Joshua complained a bit, but then fell asleep quite quickly.

            "What the…Forget this.  I'm going to sleep," Yuri said.

            "Um, where can we change?" Chris asked.

            "You could change in the bathroom…but I doubt you'd want to.  Is the door locked?"

            "Yeah."

            "Halley, turn away," Yuri instructed, doing the same.  "Alright."

            "Um, right now?"  Chris sounded a bit flustered and embarrassed.

            "Sure.  We're not going to look."

            "I doubt that," Halley muttered.

            "I'm not!  Just hurry up and change."

            "O-okay…"  After a few minutes she announced, "Done."

            Yuri didn't bother to look around but just collapsed into his bed.  "Alright.  Now turn off the lamp, it's time to go to sleep.  Have fun with the clock."

            "What clock?" Halley asked.

            "You'll see."

**

            The Graveyard?  I stopped and looked around, wondering why I was here again.  I noticed one of the graves, its symbol for fire shining with a light.  I walked up to it and examined it, puzzled.

_            "I suppose it must be reacting to me," a feminine voice said from behind.  He turned and saw the same red-haired woman as before.  She smiled at me before walking up to the grave and touching it.  It flared even more brightly and, in pain, I shut my eyes against the heat and light.  When it cooled and I opened his eyes, I saw the Flare Brooch floating in the air in front of me.  "Do you still have my brooch?" she asked.  "It was a very important gift…"_

_            "I have it," I said uncertainly.  I did have it, or at least they looked the same.  But they'd gotten that from Dalian.  "You didn't give this to me…"_

_            "Yes, I did," she said, "But you don't remember.  She hid that from you." _

_            "Who are you, and who are you talking apart?"_

_            Her smile became sad and she said gently, "I have another gift for you."_

_            "What…?"_

_            "A very precious gift, Hyuga.  The truth."_

**

Dun Dun DUH!

Next chapter is just an Author's Note for this chapter, so you can skip that.


	5. Love, Hate, and Tragedy?

Chris jolted awake as the clock struck eleven and looked around. In the darkness, she could make out Sharon still sleeping, and Halley was also sitting up. Joshua only muttered to himself something about a bell and settled back into a dream.

"So that's what Yuri was talking about," she said sleepily.

"Yeah but look at him. He's sleeping like a baby."

Chris looked in the direction that his bed was in, and she could just distinguish the sleeping figure. But soon her attention was drawn to something behind him, something that was glowing red.

She stood up and cautiously moved towards it, wondering what it was. She stumbled over Yuri, actually hitting him in the face with her foot, but he didn't wake up.

"He's a really deep sleeper, isn't he?"

"Where are you going?" Halley asked with a yawn. He couldn't see the glow, blocked by Yuri, and didn't know what Chris was doing.

She bent down and looked at the object. "Oh, it's just his Flare Brooch. I forgot about this."

"What's he doing, using it as a nightlight?" Halley snorted. "Come on Chris, let's go to sleep."

Chris was still looking at the brooch, picking it up to look at it closer. It was a rather fine brooch, engraved with the crest of a fire goddess. She had forgotten the name, but Yuri once told them a myth about her. Maybe there really was such a fire goddess who blessed it, because when it glowed, it looked as though it was raging with a fire.

But right now the fire, its glow, was almost tranquil, hypnotic. It seemed to be dancing about, flickering lazily. It was soothing to watch, and Chris watched it with a small smile on her face.

Halley turned around in his blanket, waiting for Chris to go back to bed. He was a pretty light sleeper and he usually couldn't sleep when someone was up and walking around. After a minute of waiting, he looked up and saw Chris kneeling in her sky blue nightdress, the brooch cupped in her hands. She was smiling, but her eyes looked far away.

"Chris?" he asked. "Chris," he repeated when she didn't respond.

This time she heard him. "Isn't this beautiful Halley?" she asked, looking away from it to him.

"…Not really."

Chris looked at him, puzzled. "Why not?"

He shook his head. "Just what I think." It was hard for him to really say why. Fire had always been interesting to him, but the Flare Brooch had always seemed to him cold somehow. He'd never liked it.

"Oh. Well…goodnight," Chris said, making her way back to her place. She knew Halley wouldn't go to sleep until she did, so might as well let him have his sleep. As she stepped on his mattress to get across, Yuri still didn't wake up. _Sleeps like a log…_ she thought, and then laid down on her blankets, covered herself up, and went to sleep. In fifteen minutes, both were sleeping again and the flat was quiet.

**

__

Truth as a gift? Well, it could be. God knows how many times I've been lied to or had secrets kept from me. How many mysteries there have been in my life.

But right now, there's nothing I really want or need to know. I'm happy as it is.

Besides, something about this woman…all the fusion souls except Amon and the Seraphic Radiance are acting differently. I didn't notice it last night, but now that I'm thinking, there's a weird buzz in my head. It's almost like they're talking to each other. About her?

"Don't you want to know the truth?"

"What's the catch?" I asked.

She was surprised by the question and I turned to look at the other gravestones. Since none of the others were reacting, she was probably a Fire class. "What do you mean?" she said finally. "There isn't any."

I shook my head. "You're lying. I don't even know you. How would I know you're telling the truth?"

Her hand grabbed my arm. She had a surprisingly strong grip and her fingernails pinched. "Look into my eyes-- and judge for yourself."

I turned and looked. Her eyes, oddly the color crimson…she definitely was not normal. But looking deeper…her eyes seemed without depth, infinite. In them I saw, felt a need, desire…

Love…?

My gaze fell, I couldn't look anymore. They made me feel so strange. "Not interested," I said, brushing past her; she seemed shocked. Maybe I should hear her out. But I don't want to, and I don't think it's life-threatening if I don't.

"Wait!"

"I told you I'm not interested!"

She was following me quickly, now that she'd gotten over her surprise. She yelled at me, "Are you really so content with your ignorance?"

"Hell, I've always been stupid, why worry now?"

"And what about that girl, are you so entranced by her, I am nothing to you?"

I turned around and looked at her. Something about the way she had said that made me suspicious. I asked the furious woman, "What do you mean, 'entranced by her'? I assume you're talking about Alice…"

"That-that-" Words could not express how she felt about Alice and she finally said, "That girl forced you into this lie of a life! You don't even remember who you really are!"

I just looked at her. I wasn't going to even answer that. The statement implied that I was supposed to believe her, who I'd only just met last night in the Graveyard--and of course all the people you meet in the Graveyard are just **wonderful**--over Alice, who I'd known for a year. And I could not even imagine Alice as being manipulative or a liar.

I went up to the gates, ready to go, and tried to open them. I frowned and then tried again. Something--someone--was forcing them shut. It wasn't this woman though. Another presence…I wished I'd learned how to read auras better, but I could only tell vaguely that this one was focused on the gates--but that it was also settled all over the Graveyard, manipulating it.

"What, let me guess. You have someone who works for you who can do this kind of-" I broke off and kicked the gates angrily, ignoring the pain in my foot.

"He doesn't work for me, he works for money," she explained. "Though I do have quite a few servants."

I turned to face her. "Uh huh. Well, if he doesn't stop screwing with the gates soon, I might get a little violent. So tell him to stop."

"Listen to me," she began, but I interrupted her.

"No! Are you listening to me?! I don't care for anything you have to say. Just let me go!"

"If you don't believe me-"

"And why the hell should I-"

"Then think of what you know yourself!" Her fingers touched the fine golden chain around her neck and she calmed down a bit. Finally she said, "Do you really think you can be happy with her? You, one of Darkness, and her, one of Light? Do you know what happens to a couple of both Darkness and Light? You must know, your parents were as such!" During the speech she grew more in rage, struggling to rein in her anger.

"Darkness and Light can never combine! Not even the shadows can provide harmony for them. All they will do is destroy each other!"

"My parents didn't destroy each other," I said quietly.

"You know what I am talking about Hyuga. They bring disaster upon themselves, they invite both the wrath of God and demons alike."

I shrugged. I couldn't deny what she said, I knew the story of my parents and had heard many more tragic tales. But at the same time, we'd both already gone through so much. Besides…"Well, we've dealt with God. Bring on the demons."

She laughed. It was a confident, self-assured laugh. "God? Oh, that little alien you dealt with." My stomach twisted as she said this. 'Little'? "Mortals will take any little thing and deify it, won't they? Don't you find that annoying? In fact, some mortals actually worship me as a goddess. Not that that's so annoying…but as for your 'god', he was no god at all. Irritating and foolish as he is, there is only the one. Not for too long though," she said cheerfully. "Not for too long."

She turned away from me and continued as I just stood silent, dumbfounded. "If you insist on staying together, it is inevitable. One of you will kill the other, by karma, fate, or action. I hope she is the one to die, the pest."

That got to me and I snapped, "Enough. I don't believe a word you're saying."

The woman was silent for a moment, only looking at me. "Then I suppose there is no point in saying anymore. Release him, Pan."

And everything became dark.

**

"Regina? Regina?" Persephone called, knocking on the door to her mistress's room. She knew she was in here, she could feel the aura. Which, at the moment, seemed to be very angry. "Would you like me to go?"

There was silence, and Persephone was about to go when she heard, "Come in."

The room blazed with fire coming from its occupant. Luckily, she sat on the stone floor, in a corner far enough away from anything flammable. She sat with her knees folded to her chest in a long red dress made to be unburnable. Persephone stared at her in amazement before remembering to bow.

"He refused," she said quietly, tears of anger and frustration in her eyes. "He refused. He would not even listen to me."

"Who?"

"He doesn't believe, remember me…" The anger returned and she screamed, "Damn her! Damn her to hell!" And now she cried again, unable to contain her emotions.

Now Persephone knew who she was talking about. Hyuga. Seeing her mistress practically fall apart over this man, she found that she hated him. When she'd met him, he'd seemed nice enough. But he was tearing Regina's heart apart. Even if he was under a spell, it was unforgivable. She hated him.

"I am sorry," Regina finally said. "I did not mean for you to see me like this. I thought I was calmer."

_He should be punished for this…_

An idea occurred to her and she said, "He doesn't want to listen?"

The goddess nodded dejectedly. "He has no desire to."

"Do you wish me to give him a reason to?"

Regina looked Persephone in the eye for the first time since she'd come in. She was interested.

"Harmonixers fuse with the souls of demons, correct?"

"Demons and monsters, yes." Then she became suspicious. "What are you planning?" The girl smiled and bowed low again in her short pink dress.

"I may not be a pure-blood, but I am sure I can cause Hyuga some trouble." A fine black mist curled about her ankles as she spoke, dragging her down to the floor. Regina was not surprised, but only watched pensively. When the mist thinned, the girl was gone.

"I see Persephone…yes, Hyuga will definitely be forced to listen."

**

The clock woke me up along with Halley. Halley gave an exasperated sigh and said, "Is there any way to shut the clock up?"

"Get used to it," I grumbled. Everyone else had somehow managed to sleep through the clock, though I was willing to bet they all had woken up earlier in the night. This was my first time tonight, although I didn't know if that was lucky or not.

"You were tossing in your sleep. I saw when I woke up…two hours ago? Nightmare?"

"No, just bad dreams."

He shook his head. "They're the same thing."

I smiled a little, but it felt like my face would crack. "Maybe." My tone made it clear I didn't want to talk about it. "What time is it?"

"Six. Is there anything to do until they wake up?" He asked doubtfully, looking around. It was obvious there wasn't. "Not much of a decorator are you?"

"I sleep and store my junk here. Nothing else."

"I can tell." His eyes went to the closet and he looked at it. "Anything in there?"

"My junk. Don't even touch it or everything's gonna fall out."

He laughed. "I can tell Alice is going to be cleaning up after you."

I shrugged and looked at all the kids, sleeping peacefully on the floor. "So, when you and your mom go to America…what about them?"

"Mom's thinking of adopting them."

I wasn't too surprised. I could understand how it would be for them if Chris, Sharon and Joshua were to stay behind. Like separating a family.

"How do you feel about it?" I said. He seemed a little depressed, talking about the subject.

"Well, of course that's good…I just wish we didn't have to go to America. I wish Dad would come here instead."

"You think you'll get homesick?" I asked.

He laughed quietly. "Home? I don't really consider any place home. It's just that we'll probably never all be together like this again. I probably won't see you guys again."

I smirked at him. "Hey, Margarete never told us what country she lives in, remember? Maybe she's American. And don't be so sure you won't be seeing me again. I'll probably drop by."

"You and Alice, you guys'll visit?" he asked, looking a little relieved.

I was only silent, thinking of the nightmares I'd had, bloody and violent.

_"One of you will kill the other, by karma, fate, or action."_

"It might just be me," I said quietly.

"Oh yeah…her mother might not want her to go, right? I think it's kind of silly. Alice is old enough. And she's probably capable of defending herself against, well, anybody!"

_"They invite both the wrath of God and demons alike…"_

Could she defend herself against absolutely anyone? Or was her mother maybe right in a way?

"But it's enough if only you come," Halley said. He lay on his back, looking up at the ceiling. "I guess Alice would be able to come soon enough. Her mother's got to let up sometime, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we'll both come visit you," I said. Alice and I will visit Halley… nothing's going to happen. We've gone through too much for something to happen now. We're in a small town, where everyone knows everyone it seems. Nothing violent has happened here in at least ten years, and there aren't any ghosts. What on earth could happen?

There's no need to worry, I told myself. Hell, I didn't even know if that had really happened. I'd had a lot of dreams that took place in the Graveyard, and turned out to be just that. Dreams. Nothing more.

And there were probably tons of couples who were Light and Darkness with no problems. Something bad that could happen to one of those couples would happen to everyone, right?

So it had only been a dream…

**

****

A/N: Sorry, does this seem too abrupt for it to end? It does leave a few things unsolved, but my computer's acting up on me. Oh well. And there's so much italics in here…

Ugh. Can't think of anything to say. On to reviewers:

****

Delka: Wow, someone actually checked it. Well, I suppose it doesn't give anything away that you shouldn't know by the time you're reading this. But the Flare Brooch's description did give me a lot of the ideas for this story.

****

PoopooPlaTTer: Your name is long to type too! Actually for first time suckiness, I'd probably take the cake. My ring perfect was barely over 10%…and before I got Keith, it was 0…and my score was lower. I think it was 17.

****

Link2002: Um…I really don't want to send anyone to the morgue over a fanfic so…here you are!

****

Nights Mistress: Well, thanks for letting me know. Hope you keep liking it.

****

Gutterfiend: Thanks, I'll be sure to check out the game scripts. And I didn't see Yuri as the kind of guy to go to the bank.

****

Greyfriars: Yep, I'm Aegis! I left a lot of reviews as Aegis, mostly because I rarely sign in, but I wanted to leave some kind of name. And like PoopooPlaTTer said, ariescelestial gets really tedious to type. I was also considering changing my pen name to Aegis, but I've decided to stick with ariescelestial right now.  
I was kind of surprised with the ending of Malkovich though. I thought it was kind of sudden. Did you end it early because you weren't getting enough reviews? Because I think that the Shanghai part of the game would've been changed drastically.  
Oh, guess what! You write The Malice Judgement, right? I finally figured out what the heck your summary was talking about!  
Yuri: Took you long enough.  
…When'd you get here?  
Yuri: (Yawns) Sorry I'm late. What'd I miss?  
A whole chapter. You're a bad muse.  
Yuri: Who the hell said I was going to inspire you?  
…Anyways, I finally noticed because since I can't play Shadow Hearts, I lent the game to a friend. She likes vampires, so I opened the instruction booklet to show her a pic of Keith. Then I started flipping through the booklet and I got to the Judgement Ring page. And this one has words on it!  
Yuri: Oh joy.  
You just woke up didn't you? There's some Vanilla Coke over there. No one else is going to drink it. Getting back to it… I look at the picture and I'm trying to make sense out of the words, half of them look like Latin or something. But then I saw three names and I was like 'these look familiar'…and then I remembered your fanfic and I was like 'I get it now'!  
Yuri: You are stupid.  
That's it! Next chapter, you are in pain. I don't care if I have to write fifteen pages to get to it, you are in pain!  
Yuri: …You mean, how Alice was in pain?  
Ohoho…much, much more. Plus, you know the friend I lent it to?  
Yuri: Yeah…  
She's the one that loves both vampires and yaoi. And I happened to make a specific request…  
Yuri: (Gulp)  
'When you finish playing the game, could you write a yaoi fanfic? Yeah, the Harmonixer and Keith'. And you know what else?  
Yuri: I know I don't want to hear what else…  
She writes lemons.  
Yuri: (Faints)  
Ohohoho! It's so fun to do that to him…Please, read and review!


	6. Kids and Devils don't mix well

****

Disclaimer: Like I said last time, I don't…oh…uh oh…

Yuri: What's wrong?

I didn't write a disclaimer last time.

Yuri: So? It's not like you're a criminal or anything.

Yeah! You're right. I mean, what are the chances that one of the companies is going to find out that there's no disclaimer in just one chapter and get mad? They're infinitesimal! They're tiny! They're--

(Cop sirens go off and Yuri looks up)

Yuri: Getting better all the time, I'd say.

AAAH! (Goes out the window)

Yuri: (Sweatdrop) Um…Aegis doesn't own Shadow Hearts. In fact, she even kidnapped me! Hey! I can tell the cops that!

YUUUUUUURIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!

Yuri: (Looks up) That's not how you spell my name!

…

(Collective sweatdrop)

**

****

Reviewers:

Yuri: Hold on a second Aegis. We do this at the end of the chapter.  
Not this time.  
Yuri: Why?  
Well, if we waited till the end, then I'd be answering them all by myself.  
Yuri: I'm still going to be here.  
…  
Yuri: …right?  
Moving on…  
Yuri: Why wouldn't I be here?  
You'll see.

****

Delka: Are Regina and Persephone really that scary? I did try to make Regina kind of freaky, and especially with her mood swings, but Persephone…well, I guess your opinion of her probably won't be improved by this chapter…and, is Alice going to die? I can't give away the plot!

Yuri: What plot?

Shut up. But yes, I hate her voice too. Which is weird, because it makes it less rewarding to go through all the work to get the happy ending.

Yuri: (Glares) I think the fact that she **lives** is enough of a reward…

****

Gutterfiend: Um, Regina can't exactly go away. Right now she's the main villain/villainess/evil bad girl…thingy. The pairings so far are Yuri/Alice, probably-not-but-maybe Keith/Margarete (there's a really bad attempt in this chapter), and probably ?/?.

Yuri: '?/?' ???

…I can't give that pairing away yet! I might not even do it, so it's going to stay secret for now. So don't worry, Yuri and Alice are going to be together at the end. Sorry for making you wait. Thanks for the compliment!

Yuri: What compliment?

Don't you see it? 'This fic is hardcore.'

Yuri: …That could be taken in a good way or a bad way…

My sister said the same thing. Darn it, what is it with you and her and not letting me enjoy my reviews?! I'm going to take it in a good way, so there!

****

Greyfriars: …while Margarete and her real-life example seem to be somewhat close (Interesting quote from web site: 'Mata Hari's attractiveness, as well as her apparent willingness to appear almost nude on the stage, made her a huge hit'), the real-life person spied on the French (and even that's debated). Not on the Japanese. Kawashima is just…weird (one site mentioned a fetish for boots). They're nothing alike, especially since SH's Kawashima seems to respect China (I think it's the conversation between her and Kato on the boat that shows what I'm talking about) while the real-life Kawashima laughed at the bombing of Shanghai by Japanese…and the real-life Kawashima dies way after SH's Kawashima. I don't know…I would just say don't worry about the real-life examples.

Roger Bacon's under your bed? Which one? Real or imposter?

****

PoopooPlaTTer: Well-

Yuri: Ahahaha! That is too good!

Um-

Yuri: Oh yeah, your friend's going to write 'yoai'?

Oh shut up, Yuri! And by the way, I kept my promise. You're going to be in pain today.

Yuri: (Gulp)

Along with a few other characters. Anyways, I think it's fixed…now. Thanks for catching it. I can't spell yaoi…where do they get the 'a' from, anyway? It sounds like 'yoy'…um…sudden changes to first person…I'll think I'll announce a change in POV at the start of the section with [], but I'm not planning on changing earlier chapters for that. It seems like everyone still got who I was talking about.

**

****

AN:

(In the interest of conserving SP, you may want to skip this)

Yuri had a little lamb,  
Little lamb, little lamb,  
Yuri had a little lamb,  
Its fleece was red as blood.

And everywhere that Yuri went,  
Yuri went, Yuri went,  
And everywhere that Yuri went,  
The lamb was sure to go.

It followed him to Hell one day,  
Hell one day, Hell one day,  
It followed him to Hell one day,  
Which was against the rules.

It made the demons hiss and scream,  
Hiss and scream, hiss in scream,  
It made the demons hiss and scream  
To see a lamb in Hell.

Yuri:…

You like? I made it up during an award assembly for a math contest.

Yuri: What the hell were you on?

Um…bottle of cherry coke, bag of Cooler Ranch Doritos, two big M&M cookies…no breakfast…

Yuri: Ah…

Um…yeah. This has no point except that I managed to screw up "Mary had a little lamb" into some demented Shadow Hearts song. This chapter is made of the same kind of logic.

Yuri: She still hasn't let me read it yet.

You'd kill me if you did. I think the readers are going to kill me too. I'm planning on giving all the flames to Regina.

Yuri: You think this chapter's gonna get flames?

Probably, seeing as most of it was written late at night, either doing a sugar high or sugar crash, and during a solitaire marathon. And, once again, the formatting is slightly screwed. It's also my first chapter **ever** that has more than one fight in it (well, not counting verbal sparring). By the way, I actually did some research for this chapter! I had to look up what kind of magic spells people had at their higher levels, since my finishing team has always been Yuri, Alice, and Keith. Yuri and Alice 'cause they're cute (and Yuri's required anyway), and Keith because I find it easiest to get ring perfects with him.

Yuri: Oh boy…um Aegis?

Yeah?

Yuri: The AN has reached its limit. We need to move on now.

On to the longest chapter in this measly fanfic!

**

Yuri had cheered up a lot by the time the rest of the children woke up. By the time Chris and Halley had finally gotten Sharon and Joshua up and dressed, the sun had risen, and it looked like a beautiful day. Yuri declared the sky cloud-free.

"Which is a good thing," he added. "Alice wanted to have a picnic at least one of the days, and she wanted today." He smiled, thinking of a picnic where Alice's plans hadn't worked out, but it'd still been for the better.

"The sun's too bright," Sharon said sleepily, dressed in a short light pink dress. She played with her hair, trying to pick out various tangles that she hadn't bothered to brush.

Joshua, once fully awake, was a bundle of energy again. "Hey, let's have a race!"

"Let's not," Chris said. "You'll trip and fall."

Joshua, of course, ignored this, as almost all little kids will. He started running down the street, only to knock into someone as he walked past and fall down hard. Yuri and the girls thought about how right Chris had been while Halley ran over to the boy. The stranger, a big, rough man, looked like he was in a hurry and only glanced at Joshua before walking away. Unlike almost all little kids, he didn't cry, but instead grinned.

"Are you alright?" Halley asked.

Joshua jumped up and smiled enthusiastically. "Uh huh!"

Halley looked at him suspiciously. "Did you do something?"

"I ran into that man," the smaller boy said innocently.

Halley of course, didn't buy the act and looked Joshua over. He was clutching something in his left hand, and Halley took his hand and pried it open. His eyes bulged. "I'm going to kill you," he hissed.

"Hey, you! Pickpocket!" A deep, angry voice yelled.

"Run!" Halley yelled, and both London Rats took off across the street and into an alley while the man chased them. Chris and Sharon sprinted after them, trying to get close to them before the man did. Yuri hesitated only a few seconds, wondering why, again, he had to watch these children, before following and overtaking the girls.

It'd been a while since Yuri had been in a chase like this. Joshua was trying to get away from both the man and Halley, and Halley, who was both pissed off at Joshua and worried about the boy being caught, slowed to push over trash cans full of rotten food and garbage to block the man. The victim was not very agile and often tripped and fell into the fly-covered pile, but this also added to his rage and he came after them like some kind of wheezing bull, buzzing flies following him.

Yuri was quicker, as were the girls, and they managed to avoid most of the piles. Most, because Yuri missed once, slipped, and spent a few seconds using the Lord's name in vain while flies swarmed and the two girls passed him. He got up and joined them, then soon had passed them again. Finally they got back out into an open street, the busiest street in the town, and a carriage halted abruptly as Joshua ran past it, panting. Halley yelled at him to "Stop being an idiot, will you just STOP?!" but this did not affect Joshua's pace at all and the carriage had to wait as five more people ran past. Passerbys stared at the sight of two boys being chased by two adults, both covered with garbage, and followed by two girls. Some, naturally assuming the boys to be the troublemakers, made attempts to catch them. Halley and Joshua were used to this and easily dodged the attempts, escaping into the nearest alley.

  
Yuri cursed. Alice was definitely going to hear about this.

In this alley, Halley tried the same tactic of using garbage cans. Unfortunately, this man was not stupid, and there were fewer people living in this block, meaning fewer cans to knock over. Once the man was closer to him than he was to Joshua, Halley gave up. All this would do is get him caught. Instead, he focused on catching Joshua so they could just give the stupid wallet back.

Luckily, Joshua was getting tired. Halley tried to ignore his own fatigue and closed the gap in them, finally lunging out and grabbing the neck of Joshua's shirt. Joshua gagged and Halley took advantage of this to twist his left arm and take the wallet.

"Hey, hey mister," he yelled, trying to placate the furious man. "Here's your wallet!"

By this time though, the man was not in a reasonable mood, not after being pickpocketed and covered with garbage. He was determined to punish both boys and was quickly closing in on them. Halley quickly realized this and thought of something. He took out his slingshot, put the wallet in between, aimed, pulled and WHAP--

A nice, satisfying slap against the large man's forehead quickly sent him to the ground. The wallet fell next to him.

Yuri slowed to a stop, panting as he looked at the man. He was unconscious, but the injury didn't look too bad. Halley had probably held back on the shot. Despite his better judgement, he grinned. "Nice shot."

Halley only shook his head, still breathing hard and turned to Joshua. "We don't need to steal anymore. What'd you do that for?"

Joshua only looked at the ground. "It was his fault," he muttered sullenly.

"Forget it. Just don't do it again, okay? You don't want to get in trouble anymore, do you?"

"No," Joshua said reluctantly.

Sharon kicked the man lightly with her foot. "What are we gonna do with him?"

Yuri came over and dragged the man back through the alley. When the man stirred lightly--Halley really **had** held back--Yuri made sure he went back to sleep with a knock on the head and hid him between two of the few garbage cans. He came back, whistling innocently, while all four kids stared at him like he was crazy. At least, they'd never seen an adult act like this.

At their stares, he only shrugged and said, "Hey, I used to do this stuff lots of times. It's no big deal."

"You're not helping as an example," Halley said peevishly.

"So I'm not in trouble?" Joshua said hopefully.

Yuri thought about this. "Well, I guess I agree with Halley. You really better not do this again, or you'll get in big trouble." What kind of trouble, he didn't know, but he was sure Koudelka would have some kind of punishment in store. "But yeah, this one time, we'll let it slide." He brushed a hand through his hair and grimaced. "Come on, let's get to Alice's house. I have absolutely got to take a bath."

**

Mrs. Elliot received them all with only a puzzled glance at Yuri, who quickly said he would take a bath and then ran upstairs. She looked confused, but simply ignored it and called up to him that Zhuzhen might still be in there.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Did you all run here? Your faces are red."

"Um, yeah," Halley said. "We wanted to have a race."

"That's quite some distance to run," she said, then pointed towards the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes!" They all yelled, and ran to the room. Inside the kitchen was a most delicious smell of buttermilk pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Unfortunately, the smell was all they got, because when they got into the kitchen they saw a table of empty plates and an incredulous Koudelka bearing witness to the most awesome battle ever fought over a pancake. It was a three-way battle, with Alice, Margarete and Keith all fighting over the right to the last buttermilk pancake, also the last piece of food on the table. Alice was giggling insanely, hysterical over the fact that they were even fighting over a pancake and soon gave up, content to just be a spectator. Margarete and Keith though, fought fiercely and not too fairly. The children and Mrs. Elliot could see Margarete kicking Keith under the table. In return, there were two 'accidental' slips of the fork that stabbed her hand.

"Stop poking me!" she yelled at him.

He merely shrugged and said, "It's hard to keep my hand even when my leg is being jolted."

"Oh, jolted huh? Well, here-" and she kicked out hard. Unfortunately, Keith had anticipated this and moved his leg. Instead of hitting his, she hit the chair's leg and banged her head on the table as her toes screamed in pain. Keith quickly stole the pancake and folded it into his mouth, making sure none of it stuck out of his mouth though his cheeks bulged like a squirrel's.

"That hurt!" she yelled at him.

He chewed laboriously and after a minute swallowed, wincing, as the pieces were still too big for his throat to handle. "'Dig a hole for another and you'll fall in it yourself'."

She growled and then smiled wickedly suddenly. "Should I dig a hole with your sword, hmm? I wonder where it is…"

Keith paled and then excused himself to make sure that the sword was still secure in the guestroom.

"There's no more?" Sharon asked.

Margarete suddenly noticed the four new arrivals. "Ohoho, nope, that idiot just ate the last morsel…"

"You would've if you got it," Halley said irritably. She smiled nervously, making a personal note to herself that a hungry Halley was a dangerous Halley.

"Well, we can always go on the picnic early," Alice said. "Sorry, I guess we did get carried away. We'll go as soon as everyone's ready to then. In the meantime, do you want some milk or orange juice?"

"Milk," Halley and Sharon said at the same time. Chris and Joshua both accepted orange juice quietly, Chris because she was usually rather quiet, and Joshua because he was trying to be extra good now, so as not to be punished.

"Halley, where's Yuri?" Alice asked as she gave him the milk.

"He, um…He kind of got dirty," Halley said. "He's taking a bath right now--unless Zhuzhen's still in there."

"Which I'm not," the Adept replied, coming into the kitchen, dressed in his usual clothing. Taking in the sight of the recent battlefield, he commented, "What'd I miss?"

"Oh, we just got a little carried away over the food," Alice said.

"A little? It looks like you let loose a pack of wolves," he laughed.

Margarete sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Poor kids came too late though," she told Zhuzhen, "so we're going on the picnic soon."

"Really?" Zhuzhen asked, looking puzzled. "Yuri just took the bath. How'd he get covered in garbage anyway?"

"Garbage?" Alice repeated. She looked at the children. "What on earth was he doing?"

"Um, we were racing," Halley said hesitantly, "And we started going through alleys. Clumsy idiot managed to trip and fall, right in a big pile of garbage."

Margarete rolled her eyes while Koudelka leaned forward, looking at Halley. He started feeling nervous. She could often tell when he was lying. "Are you sure?" she said.

He nodded, sure that if he spoke she'd definitely be able to tell by his voice. She seemed happy enough with the answer though, and got up, saying she wanted to take a look around town. She was certainly dressed enough in a red shirt and blue jeans, but Alice still wore a pink nightgown, and Margarete--well, it was always a question if Margarete was dressed **enough**. Alice soon also excused herself to go upstairs and dress.

"Hey Alice, can we help pack the lunch?" Halley asked as she was on the stairs.

"That'd be helpful," Alice said. "Pack whatever you want, just don't take any food from the top shelf, those are being saved."

Halley nodded and then Joshua, Chris and Sharon all followed him while they ran into the pantry.

**

"Listen, I know we have a few people…"

"We have ten."

"…You could feed a hundred with this," Yuri said, pointing at the four overflowing baskets.

Halley rolled his eyes, apparently tired of trying to explain to Yuri how much food they needed. "Just pick up two and I'll carry the other two. Unless Keith wants to carry something…" He turned to where Keith was holding his sword and arguing with Margarete.

Margarete looked irritated, complaining, "Stop being so paranoid! I am not going to steal Tyrving!"

Keith was not about to put the sword down. "I'm just going to bring it with."

"Oh shut up! We're in a normal town. You can not bring that sword out."

"You swear you won't steal Tyrving again?"

She stomped on the floor, past the point of rationality now. "Don't you trust me?"

At this point Keith only stared at her. Yuri shook his head and muttered, "I don't trust her as far as I can throw her."

"Excuse me, sonny boy?" Margarete asked, rounding on him. "And why is that?"

"Well, first of all," Yuri said, "You're telling him that he can't bring a weapon, even though you still have both your gun and your grenades."

"Those are standard spy equipment," Margarete countered.

Yuri grinned as he replied, "Terrorist."

Which is of course, how Koudelka came into the house, welcomed by a slightly embarrassed Alice, with shouts of 'Terrorist' and 'Spy' coming from the kitchen. Yuri was grinning still, almost laughing as he called an increasingly infuriated Margarete a terrorist, even though he knew she wasn't. After a few more rounds of terrorist and spy, she finally kicked him in the shins, effectively ending the argument.

Even then Yuri was still struggling to hold in laughter as he complained, "Come on, that's not fair…"

"All's fair in love and war, kiddo!"

"Um…" Everyone looked at Alice and she asked, "Is everyone ready to go? Because it's about half past eleven, so I was thinking that Halley and the others might want to eat. Unless you're not hungry?"

"Yes we are!" Joshua pumped a fist into the air, all ready to finally start eating.

"Then let's go," she said. "Is everyone ready? Here, I'll take one of the baskets for you Yuri. Margarete, why don't you take this one…?

**

They were a little more than halfway to the park when Margarete nudged Alice. Everyone else was already involved in their own conversation or game, and she had just noticed something.

"You're wearing the cross," she pointed out. She shifted the basket to point at her own neck.

Alice was surprised by the remark, and still looked down even though she knew which cross she was wearing. The fine silver cross shone in the bright sunlight.

"Yuri gave it to me…or more like, he let me keep it," she said. Margarete nodded; Yuri had often given it to Alice, since it could help a person remain calm. It had helped Alice out a lot.

"So, did he say 'here, you can have this'…or did he just forget?"

"I asked him…on the train ride here. He said that I should keep it…" She looked upwards with a happy smile, then looked at Margarete. "He said it looked beautiful on me."

"He's a flatterer," she said, rolling her eyes.

Alice laughed and lightly shoved Margarete with her shoulder. "He is not. But, um…what about you and Keith…?"

"Wha-What?" Margarete was startled. "Why would you think something like that?"

"Oh, nothing," Alice said, sounding a little disappointed. "Yuri thought that you might like Keith."

"I do…as a friend…"

Alice shook her head. "No, he thought you might be in love with him."

"Yeah right! He's slept half his life away, he's possessive with the stupid sword, and he's stupid too!"

The exorcist looked at her friend, totally confused. "You did just say you like him as a friend, didn't you?"

"Half the time. That counts. He's sleeping the other half, so I guess he wouldn't mind that."

"Why do you hate him when he's sleeping?"  
  
Margarete had only been joking of course, making fun of the fact that out of four hundred years to live he had slept for two hundred of them, but she found herself taking the question seriously. "I don't hate him when he's sleeping…after all that's the one time when he shuts up," she added lightly.

Alice sighed, figuring she probably wasn't going to get a straight answer out of Margarete anytime soon. It was rather typical. Early on, Zhuzhen had constantly tried to figure out where Margarete was from by asking her both blunt and subtler questions. She had always stumped him though, with roundabout answers that always satisfied him until he later realized she hadn't really answered the question at all. They would probably never know where she was from; even Margarete might not be her real name, although she said it was.

"Hey you two! Don't be such slowpokes!" Yuri called. The rest of the group was quite ahead of both them and him, and he waved for them to hurry up.

"Maybe…I like Keith," Margarete admitted, making Alice look at her in surprise. "But c'mon…we better catch up."

**

Persephone sat alone, high in a treetop, trying to make sense of what she felt about the auras. It was troublesome.

Oh, locating Hyuga's had been easy, of course…it was as natural to her as her own aura. And of course, that girl was nearby him. Both were coming in her direction it seemed. _Another make-out session in the park_, she thought in disgust.

However, there were several more auras nearby them, also coming in the same direction. So, maybe they had others with them?

_What's going on though? Why so many? Damn…I should've checked **before** I left…_

Also, the variety of classes amongst them puzzled her. There was one for every element and doubles for some. Why though? Was it by coincidence, or design?

Most of them felt very powerful, but there were some differences. The one of water class felt very weak--at first, and it would have continued to seem that way to someone less experienced. But Persephone's skills required an ability to read auras well, and there was a hidden power underneath-rather like a well, she thought. She tended to connect how auras behaved with the classes' attributes. There was also one of earth. This one seemed powerful, but it was also subtle, a little unusual for an earth class. And one of air seemed rather volatile.

Several of them were obviously well trained. Another had little training, but was decent--for a mortal. That would cause a lot of difficulties, seeing as she'd only planned for two people. Once again she cursed at her lack of foresight. Briefly she contemplated heading back and asking Regina--but no. She had gotten herself into this, and she would get Hyuga to see Regina by herself.

A first attack, to test them. That way she could see if there were any weaknesses, and then exploit them in a second attack with all her energy. Yes. That would be the wisest course of action.

Her hand reached to her left side and brushed against cold metal. "Time to get to work," she said with a soft smile.

**

"Wow, I'm full," Yuri said, leaning back and patting his stomach. "That was good."

"You should be full," Margarete said. "You practically inhaled that stuff!"

"Just like you did at breakfast," Koudelka said.

Margarete looked embarrassed at having this pointed out. "Well, kind of…"

There was still a little food left, but just like Yuri, everyone was full. In fact, everyone else had been done for twenty minutes and had watched as Yuri proved that he did, indeed, have hollow legs.

"This is a really nice place," Koudelka said, leaning forward. "I saw a lot of people here. Most of them seem very friendly."

Zhuzhen nodded his agreement. "It's very peaceful. I didn't feel any evil at all…"

Alice started cleaning up the plates, while she explained, "Nothing bad has happened in a long time…I'd say never but once."

"Once?" Keith asked. "What happened that one time?"

Alice bit her lip. "Well, um…I don't really remember what happened, because well…I was possessed."

Everyone stared at her. An exorcist being possessed? There were some cases they'd heard of, but it was very rare. And also usually because of the exorcist's carelessness or some other fault, so it was even rarer for them to admit it.

"Don't give me those looks!" she said defensively. "It was seven years ago. I was only thirteen or fourteen…it was actually the first exorcism I helped my father with. Something went wrong, and the spirit possessed me instead."

"So what happened?" Chris asked curiously. She and Halley were still listening to the talk, although Sharon and Joshua had gotten bored long ago and were now playing tag with some other children.

"Well…I really don't remember anything after that." They had expected that, since a person usually didn't remember what they did after being exorcised. "The first thing I do remember is waking up in the church. Somehow the spirit had fooled my father into taking it all the way back, and only then did it reveal itself. It caused quite some trouble. No one was harmed though, it seemed. But my mother was furious. She wouldn't even let my father come in the house for a week. And it was a while before she'd let me out on another exorcism." She frowned, and said softly, "Now she won't let me at all…"

"Just give it some time," Yuri said confidently. "After all, we've got to visit Halley and Koudelka after they go to America, right?"

She looked at him, thinking about it. "You know, that does sound like it would be fun. But," she said with a grin, "Are you sure you could handle being on a boat that long?"

Yuri's smile turned into a grimace, and he looked green just from the thought of it.

"It shouldn't be that bad," Koudelka said thoughtfully. "You said you were on a fishing boat last time, right? Larger ships don't rock nearly as much as small boats do. You'd probably be fine."

Halley nodded and said to Yuri, "so you'd better come like you said you would."

"As long as you don't pester me about it," he said, sticking out his tongue at Halley. In turn, Halley stuck out his tongue and they began making grotesque faces at each other.

Margarete rolled her eyes and pronounced, "A little immaturity combines and becomes much more immature." She looked at Zhuzhen and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

His eyes were shut and he looked like he was trying to concentrate on something. "Alice, do you feel anything strange?"

She looked surprised, and looked around. Her surprise turned into puzzlement and she said, "Why didn't I notice it before? There's something…I don't know what it is. It's troubling though… something not quite right."

  
"Huh?" Yuri turned away from Halley to look at them. "What are you talking about?"

"Halley, go get Joshua and Sharon," Koudelka said. Halley wasn't sure exactly what was wrong, but he could also feel an aura, wrapped in darkness. He got up and started walking briskly towards where he had last seen them playing.

A far off scream made him quicken into a sprint.

**

Despite what Alice and Zhuzhen had felt, they were all startled when they heard the first scream. Then another followed, someone screaming for help. Yuri swore and got up, with everyone else following him. "Koudelka! Can you and Chris wait here for Halley to come back?"

She nodded, knowing that the children were expecting her to be here. And if there was a serious problem, Chris would only make things worse for the others. The screams were coming from the west, outside of the park. Fortunately, she'd last seen Sharon and Joshua playing near the south entrance to the park, so they should be alright. Hopefully.

She was wrong.

**

"Sharon! Joshua!" Halley called, starting to panic. They had just been here five minutes ago. Why were they already gone? "Sharon!"

"Halley! Help!"

"Help!"

That was Joshua's voice, and other children were also calling for someone to rescue them. Halley spun around to the right and ran as fast as he could, getting his slingshot ready. But he wasn't prepared for what he saw.

Monsters. Five monsters that were some demented version of the birdmen he had often seen circled around the children as they flailed their arms, trying hopelessly to beat them away. Their beaks snapped and they cawed mockingly. Fortunately, the children only had light injuries it seemed, but Halley was immediately angry. He took a few metal balls from a pouch he carried, pulled one back in the slingshot, and hit the nearest of the mutated birds directly in the head. The ball hit it so hard that the bird instantly fell down and died.

_These things are pretty weak,_ he thought. The only problem was how close they were to the children. As soon as that one had died, they had moved even further in. If he hit one of the children…

He reached down and picked up a large stone from the street, throwing it near the birds to get their attention and jeering, "Hey! Bird brains!" He threw a few more stones, gaining their attention and ire. They hissed as their large arms dragged them along the street to him with more speed than he'd thought possible. Quickly he aimed and shot two of the birds, killing them like the first. But a third only slowed the bird down and its companion latched onto his right arm with its beak. He cried out in pain and sent a rush of air that knocked both back several feet into a building, killing them.

"Halley! Halley! Are you alright?" Joshua asked, his eyes wide as he watched the arm bleed. Halley nodded and held out his other hand over his arm, healing it slowly. He then looked around and noticed something. "Joshua, where's Sharon?" he asked. He could still feel more of that weird aura, and he was sure there were probably still monsters around.

"I don't know!"

Halley had been scanning the area for anymore monsters, but now his full attention was on Joshua. "What do you mean, you don't know?!"

"We started playing hide-and-seek, and we still haven't found Sharon!" he explained.

Halley felt like screaming. There were monsters around and Sharon was missing? "Is there anyone else who wasn't found?"

Joshua nodded. "There's another boy, Christopher."

"Okay, all you guys, you have to help me find them, okay?" he said, now talking to everyone. He had to stay calm. "But we all have to stay close together, in case there are any more monsters." He didn't doubt that the kids would all follow his advice; they all looked terrified at the mere idea of being left alone. "Does anyone know where they might be?"

One girl started walking in one direction. "Christopher went this way, I saw him!" she said. Halley nodded and started walking quickly in that direction, listening for any more screams.

**

"What…the hell…are these THINGS?"

"Dammit, how the hell did these things get here?"

No one really knew how to answer either question. They looked a little like small monkeys, in a way, except they had wings, and were hairless with blue faces. And Alice seemed bewildered by the mere idea that there **could** be monsters in her town. At the moment, these creatures were tormenting the townspeople, not only clawing and sometimes biting them, but also stealing things. People were, of course, trying to run away, but the monkeys--or whatever they were--were both persistent and fast.

"Well, we gotta stop them somehow," Yuri said. "A quick fusion and-"

"Wait!" Alice said. "People will see you."

He growled in frustration and said, "Fine. I guess fusions are out. But we have to take these things out. Who can fight?"

"I don't have a weapon, so I'll just have to use my magic," Alice said.

"Same here," Keith said, giving Margarete a dirty look. "You told me to leave my sword behind."

"Well I didn't think we'd be entertaining the little blue monkeys from hell!" she yelled at him. Out of one of the inside pockets of her jacket, she grabbed her gun. "Got mine."

"Just be sure you don't hit anyone," Zhuzhen said worriedly. "Margarete and Yuri are the only people who can fight then. We'll just have to stay back and use magic." This was directed to Alice and Keith, who both nodded.

"This is going to be fun," Margarete said sarcastically. She took aim and shot a monkey in the wing. It fell down while the woman it'd been attacking ran, screaming her lungs out. She then leisurely aimed and shot it in the head. Hopefully that would kill it, although some monsters could survive a bullet in the head. Yuri immediately went into the part where they were thickest, punching and kicking anything blue. Unfortunately, his punches weren't as strong as they were normally, since he'd left his claws behind.

The others were a bit more methodical. Alice cast Blessed Light, afraid of using Advent and harming people instead of monsters. Instead of casting spells that he knew could easily get out of control, Zhuzhen focused on healing. Keith cast Larva often and at many.

The monkeys were more annoying than they were tough. Gradually they were being worn down by Yuri's and Margarete's attack, as well as the others' spells. Also, as they noticed more of their number being killed by this group of people, they turned their attention more to them, allowing more people to escape. Eventually, there were no more people left.

At this point, Margarete yelled for Yuri to go back and he looked at her, confused. She held aloft a grenade and, quickly getting the point, got back, trying to ignore the monkeys screeching and grabbing at him. She pulled the pin and then lobbed it at one crowd of them, killing some and leaving more injured. Alice then summoned Advent, wiping out the rest.

"How's everyone?" she gasped, tired from casting so many spells. She had some blood on herself, but she was already starting to heal her wounds. Zhuzhen healed both Keith and himself, and then both of them checked on the wounds of Yuri and Margarete.

"We better check on Koudelka and Chris," Yuri said. "Halley should be back with them by now."

"No, not yet," Alice said. "There's still a few monsters."

"Where?"

"South. No, now they're--gone? And Sharon's summoned a monster, it seems."

"Well if they're gone, let's go back," Margarete said. "Look, this place is deserted now."

Alice looked around and saw that she was right; the street was devoid of pedestrians, and the park felt oddly empty. "They're afraid because of the monsters. What happened, anyways?" she asked. "What made them come here?"

"We'll figure it out," Zhuzhen said. "For now, let's make sure the others are alright."

**

Halley had finally found Christopher, a small six-year-old who had been huddled for over thirty minutes in his hiding spot, not making a sound for fear of being heard by the monsters. It took a long time to coax him out of hiding, and he was reluctant to talk.

"All I want to know is if you've seen Sharon," he said quietly. "Did you see her?"

After five minutes of asking and being refused by silence, he was answered. The boy looked up shyly, his green eyes still full of fear and said, "She went after some of the monsters when they were chasing people."

"She went after…God…" Halley muttered. He didn't feel anything evil anymore, which meant those monsters must've been taken care of somehow, but Sharon could rarely restrain the monsters she summoned. They could end up hurting someone. "Joshua, take everyone back to Koudelka, I'll keep looking for Sharon."

**

Sharon was crying, as the wolf in front of her growled. How had she messed up the summoning this time? She'd thought she'd done it right…just once…

"Nice doggy…" she sniffled, trying to back away. The wolf's eyes gleamed and it leaped forward, grazing her arm as she snatched it away. The cuts hurt, but it hurt even worse because of her confusion. She had summoned this wolf. So why was it hurting her?

The wolf approached closer, making her back more into the corner she was in. Trapped in between garbage cans and buildings. All she wanted was for the wolf to leave her alone now. "Why won't you do? Why won't you do what I want you to do?" She reached out a trembling hand, hoping this time, maybe it would calm down.

Instead it growled louder and she took her hand back again. There was a gleam in its eyes she didn't like…it didn't like her at all…it snapped its teeth at her and she stumbled, falling to the ground and curling up into a ball, crying in terror. It was going to kill her. She could feel it.

But then, she heard a few notes, like the beginning of a song, calm and soothing. The wolf kept growling at first, but then it gradually quieted. She waited a long time to feel its teeth again, but instead she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

She looked up through tear-blurred vision at a girl, about twelve or thirteen she would guess. She had long, beautiful dark hair. "Y-yes." Sharon heard a soft whimpering and gasped as she saw the wolf, standing next to them.

The girl laughed softly and said, "Don't worry. He's friendly now, see?" She held out a hand and the wolf licked it like a dog looking for food as she giggled.

Sharon saw a flute, suspended by a cord around the girl's waist. "Did you do that?" she asked.

"Yes. I'm a summoner, you see." She was quiet for a moment, and then asked, "Did you summon this wolf?"

Sharon nodded, shaking the dark brown hair out of her eyes. "Yeah. He got rid of these weird monsters for me." She looked down and said softly. "But then…he started growling at me. What…do you know what I did wrong? No one's trained me, so I can't control them."

"No one's trained you?" the girl said curiously. She looked reluctant, but she finally nodded. "Hmm…then, maybe I should teach you something about summoning."

"You'll teach me?!"

"Yes. I will." She thought for a while and then said, "Do you know what a Bifronze looks like?"

Sharon tried to remember what a Bifronze looked like and then nodded.

"Summon one."

She was confused, but decided to trust the girl anyway and concentrated on a Bifronze. The monster appeared, waving its scythe and approaching the two girls in a threatening manner. Sharon gasped and wanted to run, but the girl gripped her shoulders tightly.

"No, girl. Listen to me; there is only one basic rule in summoning: don't be afraid. Don't be afraid of the monster. Reach out to it. Reach out to it with your mind."

"How…?"

"Any summoner can do that much. It is a part of the bond between summoner and monster." She waited a minute and then asked, "Do you feel that bond?"

"Yes." And she did; it was like a thread that wound around both her and the Bifronze. She could also sense there had once been a thread between her and the wolf, but that it was now broken.

"Trace it, and it will lead you into its mind."

Sharon obediently traced it and shuddered at what she felt. At first, it felt like a kind of playfulness. But underneath, there was hatred and a desire to hurt people, a desire to kill them. "I don't like this," she whispered. "I don't like this at all."

"Listen. Accept what you feel in there. Forget about yourself; become the monster. That is the only way for you to control it. Do you understand?"

Sharon tried it a bit, but she didn't like it. It was too much, of anger and hate and pain.

"Do you understand?" the girl repeated.

_I have to do this so I can control my monsters,_ Sharon thought. _I understand that much._ "Yes."

"Then forget. Forget what it means to be human, forget about everything you've known. All that matters is the monster's instincts and desires."

And at first gradually, then quickly, Sharon forgot. She let go some things and found herself being forced to let go of more and more until there was nothing. There was no Koudelka. There was no Chris. There was no Halley. There was no Joshua.

There was no Sharon. There was only the Bifronze.

"Now," came a whisper, into her ear, "Summon more."

**

Persephone watched as the girl's eyes glazed over. Her stomach was churning; the girl had been telling the absolute truth. No one had trained her, or else she'd never do such a foolish thing. But she was. She was actually allowing the monster to take over her mind.

Oh God, she felt sick just watching this happen. And she had caused it. Self-hatred boiled inside of her, but she tried to fight down the guilt. _It's just a foolish little girl_, she told herself. _Besides, after this, she'll never make the same mistake again._

No, she wouldn't make the same mistake again, she'd be too busy having nightmares the rest of her life.

_Everyone else is in their houses. They're the only ones out, and they're all capable of handling a Bifronze._

And what if one of them couldn't? What if she killed someone with the monsters?

_It's too late now, anyway._

Yes. It was too late. Much too late, she realized as she looked at the girl again. Her eyes were totally blank, she'd given her entire self up. There was a peculiar smile on her face, one of wickedness. That was definitely the Bifronze now.

Quickly, before the girl went entirely out of control, she whispered into her ear, "Now, summon more."

And she did. At least a dozen more Bifronzes appeared out of thin air and Persephone quickly teleported away. They would be out for blood now, and serve as a useful distraction, at least for awhile.

She shouldn't have done it. But she had done it. It was too late to change it now.

_It's too late to change anything._

**

They had been a bit off. Not everyone was gone; panicking mothers and fathers were combing through the park for their missing children. When Joshua brought the children over, Koudelka called out and there was a brief and happy reunion between the worried parents and children. But Yuri and the others were more worried about the two still missing.

"Halley's looking for Sharon? I hope she's all right after those monsters…"

"Don't worry," Joshua said confidently. "She can take care of any monsters with her own."

"That might be a problem too," Chris told him, watching the children quickly make their way home with their parents. "If she loses control…"

"Damn!" Zhuzhen cursed. "That aura's still here though."

Yuri looked at Alice and said, "Please tell me he's wrong."

She bit her lip very hard and concentrated. After a minute, she looked back at him and said, "Would you like me to lie?"

"Aw crap." Yuri, thought about this, trying to think of what they should do now, when he heard the faint notes of a flute, being carried by the wind. His fusion souls seemed to react to the music, but instead of causing a headache, they began to whisper, _separate_.

"And just where is it?" Margarete asked, but Alice shook her head.

"I can't tell. Can you Zhuzhen?"

"Not at all."

"Let's separate into two groups," Yuri said. The idea was a pretty good one, even if he was confused by the souls suggesting it. "We'll go opposite ways. Um…Zhuzhen, you come with me. Alice, Keith and Margarete…sound alright?"

"No, it's fine," Alice said, although she looked a bit puzzled.

"Alright then. We'll go--"

__

North. Head north.

"What's wrong?" Margarete asked. Yuri realized his hand was at his forehead and he quickly put it down.

"Nothing. Zhuzhen and me are gonna head north of the park. You guys should go south. We'll find out who's doing this and then decide what to do. Be careful," he said, rather unnecessarily. His mind was on why the fusion souls were telling him to do things. Was it possible they felt something to the north? Maybe it was the person with the strange aura…but then why were they also telling him to split up people?

Oh well. Zhuzhen and him would just go check out the north side and if they found anything, then decide. If it looked like they could take out the person on their own, they would do so. And if they couldn't, they would come back and then talk things over with the others.

It was a reliable plan. So why, he wondered as they split up, leaving Koudelka to take care of the kids again, did it feel like such a bad one?

**

__

A Harmonixer seems to be basically the same as a summoner, Persephone thought. It would make sense; it **was** in their blood, after all. Still, she was surprised that the two seemed so similar. If they were mostly the same, why had the first Harmonixer been banished? The differences between the two seemed so trivial. What mattered was the purpose: to direct the advantages of monsters over humans into a purpose.

Although, there were some large differences that were obvious. A harmonixer depended completely on the quality, since the quantity was already fixed at one. A summoner usually tried to strike a balance, using the best monsters that they could obtain at the highest number that they were comfortable with. And a summoner couldn't turn into a monster--or could they? She'd never heard of anyone trying, and she certainly wasn't about to try it herself. Suppose a summoner could…? No, they probably couldn't, or else the only difference between Harmonixers and summoners would be the technique, and why banish someone for discovering a new technique?

But they definitely both had a bond with the monsters they used. She had just exploited Yuri's bond with his souls, telling them to come north and expecting them to pass on the message. It was a common trick, one summoner fooling another's monsters with false information to lure them into a trap.

At least Yuri was coming, though with another, one of the fire auras. She sighed. Well, at least she had fewer to deal with. The others would probably be taken care of by the little girl…the girl she had practically destroyed-

She bit her lip hard, forcing herself back into reality. The girl didn't matter, nor did the others. They could go kill each other for all she cared. What difference did a handful of mortals make?

Her goal was Hyuga. And Persephone would make sure he was alone when they finally met again. Time to separate him from the other…

**

"Better not drop off," Zhuzhen muttered. The comment snapped Yuri back to reality and he looked at the Adept, who was surprisingly walking faster than he was.

"Huh?"

Zhuzhen looked back at Yuri, raising an eyebrow in question. "What on earth are you thinking about? You've got to be alert."

"It's just…fusion monsters acting up again."

"Really? You don't seem to be in pain."

Yuri shook his head. "They're not bothered…it's just that they're acting weird. Never mind, forget it." He lengthened his stride to quickly catch up with Zhuzhen and looked around, trying to see whatever the spirits could sense. But there was nothing.

They reached the north entrance and looked around. Even though the street was less crowded than in larger towns, it felt odd to see absolutely no one walking or riding in a carriage.

"This is weird," Yuri said.

"So you feel it too?"

Yuri turned to Zhuzhen and asked, "Feel what?"

"The aura's gotten stronger."

Yuri rolled his eyes. "Come on, old man, you know I'm bad with sensing auras. Huh? The flute…?"

He could still hear it playing, except now the fusion souls were calming down. Like it didn't concern them anymore. Wait a second…

"Zhuzhen, come on!" he said, running towards the music.

"What is it?"

He couldn't believe it had taken him this long to remember. "The flute! That's the aura!"

Zhuzhen had no clue what the kid was babbling about, but he could also hear a flute, faintly playing. And the kid was right, the aura did seem to be getting closer. But he could feel others, swelling up…

"Get back, Yuri!" he yelled, but Yuri didn't stop and in fact was rammed into by a frog. A large frog.

"God, I hate these things…" he muttered, lying on his back. Hearing ribbits, he looked up to see at least ten of the large frogs. He absolutely despised these things. But it didn't matter. If he could get to the flute, if it was who he thought it was, the monsters shouldn't be a problem. He quickly got up and pummeled the offending frog until it was flipped onto its back, practically helpless. One sharp kick penetrating the guts finished it off. "Hey Zhuzhen!" he yelled. "Forget the frogs, they don't matter."

In fact, the frogs themselves seemed to know they didn't matter; when he ran to get through, they all quickly moved aside. But then they circled around Zhuzhen, who struggled to get through.

"Kid, wait-" Zhuzhen would have said more, but then the frogs' large tongues wrapped around him, making him fall and curse--until one tongue also wrapped around his mouth. He was disgusted, but not so much that he failed to realize something.

_They knew to let Yuri through. Monsters can't work in sync this well. Someone's controlling them. And he's letting Yuri getting closer to him…_

A trap. He wanted to yell at the kid to stop, but the repulsive tongue was wrapped, all around his head. He could barely breathe. But…the monsters weren't hurting him. Whoever was controlling them wasn't concerned with him at all. Only with Yuri…

_Dammit kid, it's a trap!_

**

"The aura's gotten farther away, it seems," Keith said, looking carefully around.

Margarete just shrugged from her post. "I couldn't tell you. So should we get back then?"

Alice shook her head. "No. There's something here, definitely…but what is it? It feels…just a little…Sharon?" she called. She knew she had felt Sharon's aura, just a bit in this direction, but it now seemed very faint. Had she moved somewhere else?

"Margarete. Have your gun ready." Keith looked at Alice and pointed to the west. "Feel anything in that direction?"

Her eyes widened. She'd been so wrapped up in trying to figure out the two confusing auras--Sharon's and the unknown's--that she hadn't even sensed the monsters that were nearby. She could feel them coming.

"It's more than one," Alice said. "You might want a grenade instead."

Margarete was ready and they stared at the street's intersection, wondering what might come around the corner. A small shadow appeared first, and then the outline of a scythe. Finally, one appeared. Alice was startled.

"Wind shears?"

Margarete smiled grimly. "Don't you remember these Alice? It's a relative. Bifronze." She closed one hand over the pin, ready to pull. They could hear the sound of their demonic laughter as a second and then a third joined the first. But from the sound, even more were hiding around the corner. Margarete shook her head. "These things play hide-and-seek? I'm really not in the mood for games." She shook her head and pulled the pin, lobbing it directly in the center of the three.

The grenade landed next to the middle one. It looked at the grenade and grinned. Then it turned its scythe over and, using it like some kind of golf club shot the grenade back at them.

"Get down!" Alice screamed, ducking and covering her head. The others did the same and the grenade exploded over them, cutting them with shrapnel. She cried out in pain, but the injuries weren't too bad. She didn't think she needed to heal them yet. Getting up quickly, Alice looked at the others. "Are either of you hurt?"

Keith concentrated and the Bifronze screamed as its energy was sucked from it and used to heal him. He would be fine as well.

"Margarete?"

Margarete seemed…she was not all right.

"Oh, holy hell," she whimpered. That was impossible. Bifronzes were too stupid to do something like that. Hell, she had thrown grenades at them plenty of times and they had never figured out that it was a weapon on the first try. And they would never figure out to throw the grenade back. Usually they just stared at it until it exploded. Sometimes the smarter ones tried to run away, but never…ever…

Alice walked over to her and touched her shoulder. "Margarete? Margarete?" She noticed some blood, trickling from her hands and head. _She must have been dazed by the hit,_ Alice decided. "Keith, can you cover us for a minute?" She began to focus on healing the injury.

Keith nodded and, as the Bifronzes approached, decided on a spell. "Gift!" he called. The spell took place, and immediately all three fell over, dead. But from around the corner, replacements came, this time with a fourth as well.

By this time the healing spell had taken some effect and, though still confused by how an idiotic monster pulled a stunt like that, Margarete was determined not to let it happen again. _Let's see them play golf with this,_ she thought, pulling out her gun. A few snipes to the head, and down they would go. She couldn't resist a grin. Alice pulled back and got ready for more fighting.

"We can't use too many big spells," Alice said to Keith. "Unless you have some mana leaves on you."

"Damn," he cursed, wishing they had had a bit of advance notice about a fight. If their minds became fatigued from casting spells, that was it. Trying to cast more than could be handled resulted often in a collapse. And now was not the time to be fainting. "Margarete, you'll have to take care of these."

"Just leave it to me," she said, sounding much more confident now. She shot once at a Bifronze, making it drop its scythe as it marched forward. Still it continued, until she shot it in the leg. Then, just to make sure it died, she shot it in the chest. The next one she aimed and shot right in the head and it fell. The third she was also able to take care of, but the fourth got way too close to them for comfort, managing to catch Alice's arm with its scythe before she hit it with Blessed Light. That was a relatively easy spell, so there couldn't be much harm in casting it.

There was still laughter from behind the corner and Keith frowned. It sounded like their laughter, wild and shrieking, but it also sounded like there was something else laughing with them, something human. "Someone must be controlling them," he said. "And I think they're having fun at our expense too."

It'd be easiest just to take out the person controlling them, because usually that was enough to get rid of the monsters. However, if they tried to go around the corner, they could be ambushed. Margarete decided to call the person out. "Hey! We're sick of playing around! Come on out!"

That brought a definite reaction. The Bifronzes were suddenly silent, as though waiting for a reply also. They heard a girl's giggle, and realized that it sounded familiar. Too familiar.

"Can't be…" Margarete shook her head and called again, "Come on out!"

Three Bifronzes appeared, deadly silent. Somehow, their silence was worse than their mocking laugh. Then a fourth figure came out, the only one laughing now. The laughter changed from high-pitched giggles to a low laugh and back.

Alice, Keith, and Margarete were all astonished. "Sharon…what are you doing…?" Alice asked. It didn't seem like they'd get an answer. Even from a distance, something seemed terribly wrong about her. And Alice still couldn't sense her aura, even though she was right there. Instead, it felt like…there were four Bifronzes in front of them…

She stopped giggling as she bent down and picked up the scythe one of the Bifronzes had dropped. Sharon swung and pointed it at Alice, a maniacal gleam in her eyes. "What am I doing? I'm playing! Margarete, Keith, Alice…let's play!"

**

"Zhuzhen! Zhuzhen!"

_What the hell happened?_ Yuri wondered as he waited for an answer. None came. _I thought Zhuzhen was right behind me!_ But when he had looked, he had seen nobody, nothing.

Was he in trouble? Yuri shook his head, wouldn't he have heard if something happened to Zhuzhen? The old guy wasn't too senile not to shout or something.

Maybe they'd just gotten separated then? But how could Zhuzhen have lost sight of him? It was a clear day and Zhuzhen was fast enough to be able to keep sight of him.

Yuri shook his head again. Zhuzhen wasn't anywhere nearby, but the flute player was. He might as well find her. He began walking again towards her. Now she was playing a tune that he remembered, one she had played while they were keeping watch during the night. Because now he was sure he knew who the flute player was. The exorcist from his last job had played a flute too.

He caught sight of her, playing the melody while standing on top of a roof. _Why is she so calm?_ "Lilia!"

She opened her eyes and caught sight of him. She looked around, then smiled and sat down at the edge. "Hello, Yuri."

"Mind giving us a hand down here?" he called, a little perplexed. Something felt off. He was sure it was the same girl, but now…something about her attitude was different. She didn't **feel** like the same person. But that might have been just her clothes. Instead of the long green dress he had last seen her wearing, she now had on a much shorter, light red dress and some bizarre sandals. Oh well. That didn't matter. "There's some monsters back there," he said, pointing the way he had come. "And there might be more. Wanna help?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry. They'll be gone soon."

Now he was definitely confused. He knew that her flute could get rid of monsters--she'd used a trick like that on the banshees--but it'd been playing when they were with the frogs, and it hadn't seemed to affect them. "I think you've got to get closer Lilia. They weren't leaving last time I saw."

Lilia laughed and said, "because I don't want them to leave yet. See, Yuri? Now you're all alone."

Yuri just shook his head. What on earth was going on? He found himself growing more suspicious of the exorcist. "Why's that important?" he asked.

She closed her eyes and said, "Because you haven't been listening to Regina. She thought all she'd have to do is find you in the Graveyard and you would listen to her, but you had to rip out her heart again." She looked at him with accusing eyes, but he didn't really care.

_My dreams…She's talking about my dreams…That means…That means they weren't just dreams! The woman's a fire class…some worship her as a goddess…can she really be Regina?_

"What the hell does she want from me?" he demanded.

"How should I know? But I promised her you'd listen tonight. So I'm going to make a deal with you, Yuri."

"No!" he yelled. "If you're not going to help, fine. But I've got some monsters to take care of." He turned away from her, but a soft high note and screams began in his head, making him fall to his knees.

"You're right. You do have monsters to take care of Yuri…but it's the ones in you that you have to worry about the most. I'll be taking them now. If you want them back, be sure to listen **very **carefully to Regina tonight."

_Take them? How can she do that?! _Again, Yuri tried to walk away from the exorcist, almost at a run, but as soon as she played the first note, he froze. His whole body locked up, refusing to do anything. Why? He knew her flute had some kind of magic in it, but when she'd played it before, he'd been fine.

_The fusion souls._ "Damn," he hissed as his body began trembling. They were all going berserk at the music, a strange and haunting melody. _Summoner, summoner!_ they cried out, entranced by the music. She wasn't an exorcist at all, but a summoner.

The souls were trying to go to her. The music, it was through the music. She was enticing them. Yuri was on the ground now; sweat dripping off of his forehead as his body tried to deal with twenty spirits trying to escape and one trying to contain them all. There was civil war between Harmonixer and fusion souls. It was unbearable, but he still tried to contain them, breathing in short gasps at each stab of pain going through his head. Their cries built up into begging, and then screaming and shrieking and cursing, making the migraine pound harder and harder.

Too much. There was just too much pain, his hands were starting to claw at his own body, tearing at his head, as the souls tried to claw their own way out and finally, he let go. Yuri released all of them, and he screamed.

**

"Okay, how much sugar did she eat?" Margarete deadpanned.

"Sharon…I can't sense Sharon. At all," Alice said. "So it's either an illusion or…"

"Or?"

Alice shook her head. "It can't be an illusion. Bifronzes can't do illusions, and there doesn't seem to be anything else around. But if it's not an illusion, then something …really bad has happened to her."

Keith was silent for a moment, and then he said, "Leave Sharon for last. She can't be that much of a threat. These three seem to be the last of the Bifronzes, so how about we use some stronger spells now?" He targeted the Bifronze closest to him and began casting Larva, managing to kill it before it got too close. Alice began praying to God and building up the strength to cast Blessed Light.

The first Bifronze attacked Alice while she was trying to cast. She managed to avoid the first swing but the second cut into her thigh. She stumbled but cast Blessed Light directly into the Bifronze's face. She wished she had her book with her. It would be so much easier if she did.

The third Bifronze was Margarete's. She pulled the trigger and then cursed when the gun didn't shoot. She lost some time loading the gun and couldn't get a shot in before Sharon raised her scythe and in a swift blow both knocked the gun away and cut open Margarete's hand. Margarete grabbed her scythe and tried to wrestle it away from Sharon. But the Bifronze was raising its scythe and was about to bring it down, when Keith cast Larva on it, followed by Alice casting Blessed Light again. The Bifronze staggered back, and then fell forward.

Margarete finally got Sharon away from the scythe, actually throwing her down onto the ground. She looked down at Sharon while trying to regain her breath, then turned around and started searching for her gun, holding her injured hand with the other.

Alice ran over to the girl while she was trying to get back up. She was crying. "Sharon? Are you alright?"

She got no response but a choked sob. "Sharon, what happened?" Alice asked, kneeling down. Keith began walking over to them, also worried about the girl.

"You…you killed them…" She looked at Alice, her eyes filled with hate. "I hate you!" she screamed, lunging at Alice.

At this point, Sharon was no longer playful. She bit and scratched and tore as much as she could until Keith grabbed her and held her arms tight against her body while she screamed and cursed him. He struck her against the head hard enough to knock her out, but hopefully not do anything permanent.

"Are you alright Alice?!" Margarete asked, kneeling by her.

"Um…yeah," she said. "I've had worse."

"Is there anything else here?"

Alice shook her head and began healing herself. There was nothing big, just a lot of shallow injuries that quickly healed. "Let's get back to Koudelka. I hope she knows what's wrong with Sharon."

**

Halley had finally given up. He hadn't been able to sense Sharon in a while, and he thought it would be best to check up on how the others were doing. He could tell his mom was still in the park, since he was most familiar with her aura, so he thought to go there.

So he was walking back, towards the park when he heard the scream. It came from his right, and before he even realized it he was running in that direction.

_Yuri._ He had never heard Yuri scream before, but he knew somehow that it was him. And if Yuri was screaming, then he was in serious trouble.

He turned onto the street and past four stores, he could see Yuri lying on the street face down. It almost seemed like he was sleeping, until Halley came closer and saw his head and face bleeding. His nails were red with blood. _He did this to himself? No way…_

Something about him felt different, too. But he didn't get a chance to think about it as a girl said, "He's all right. Just fainted. I guess he's nothing special without the fusion souls."

Halley looked up and stared at the girl above him. A pale brunette sat on the roof, examining him as he did her. A black flute that was glowing lay next to her. Then what she said started to register. "What do you mean, 'without the fusion souls'?" he asked suspiciously. "What are you doing out here?"

"I took his fusion souls from him," she said. "But he just couldn't take the extraction." She shrugged and stood up, looking like she was ready to leave. But Halley wouldn't let her. He quickly gave a warning shot that whizzed just above her head.

"I can do that lower if I have to," he said, getting another shot ready. "Who are you?"

The girl seemed amused by this and was smiling. "My name? Some call me Lilia, some call me Persephone."

_Persephone?_ "Give Yuri back his fusion souls. Right now, Lilia." Persephone was too bizarre, it was from mythology. Probably was a code name or something.

"And you think I am actually going to listen to you?"

Halley adjusted his aim a bit lower and to the left, then shot, hitting the girl's right arm. She cried out in pain, glaring at him. "You'd better," he said.

"You're a friend of his, aren't you? Well, don't worry. He'll be getting his monsters back tomorrow," she said, and this time she managed to dodge the shot he gave. Why wouldn't he just listen to her and go away?

"Right now." She could just barely feel a tremor in the building beneath her as he spoke.

"I'm telling the truth!"

"Yeah right! Give me one good reason to believe you!"

Her eyes flashed with anger and she said, "I'll show you why." She brought the flute up and began playing a song with long, slow notes. The flute's glow turned green and a smoke mixed of both green and black came out, forming a cloud in front of her. Halley tried to shoot at the mass two times, but didn't hear any contact. Was she planning a sneak attack?

The cloud descended down, showing that she was still in the same place and still playing. When it was four feet above the ground, it stopped and began to take shape. First, the cloud lengthened and narrowed. Four long legs of greenish smoke stretched from the cloud to the ground. A tail formed behind it, as did a sphere at the front. The sphere became more and more defined until Halley realized that it was in the shape of a head with large ears and a huge jaw. The body also gained more definition. Eventually there was the silhouette of a gigantic wolf in front of him. Then, the smoke quickly turned into white fur and the wolf began growling. Halley could only stare at it in astonishment.

"This," Lilia said, pausing in the music to tell him, "Is Lobos's true form. Now, just take Yuri and leave, all right? You don't have to get hurt."

That aura. Now that he was so close to her, he realized what felt so odd about her aura; it felt almost identical to Yuri's. But that wasn't important. She was the person who had been summoning monsters, wasn't she? _Stupid idiot…_

"Go to hell!" he yelled at her. He sent a powerful rush of air at the wolf, expecting it to dissipate into smoke. After all, that was all it was, right?

But although the wolf was forced back by the wind, it remained solid and looked very mad. It started snarling and barking, ready to attack. Shit. What did he remember about Lobos? It was Yuri's best fusion from the earth class…so he should just keep using air class magic, right?

The wolf leaped at him, but Halley managed to dodge its jaws. He was sure that if it caught him in that massive thing he wouldn't get out. He lost its balance, though, and fell. His slingshot was knocked out of his hands as one of the paws landed on him. Panicking, he sent a more powerful Air Shot at the beast's stomach that managed to knock it off balance.

His shirt was torn and his shoulder bleeding now, but Halley tried to ignore that as he searched frantically for the slingshot. He finally saw it lying next to some bushes and concentrated. The slingshot vibrated, then flew back into his hands. A shot from it gouged Lobos's eye, while a second hit the head without seeming to do much. Lobos howled in fury and shook its head, knocking the metal ball loose. The eye then began to heal.

Oh. Right. Lobos could heal itself. What else could it do? The wolf stamped the ground with one of its massive feet, and walls of earth formed around it and then crumbled away, having made its body more resistant to attack.

Now the slingshot wouldn't be as useful. Halley debated using his magic, but then Lobos could just heal it. What if he aimed at the summoner, the girl? Then Lobos would be forced to sit still and heal her until it was exhausted. And she was busy playing to control the damn monster…

He took his slingshot and aimed at her. Her eyes had been closed while she was playing the flute, but suddenly opened before the ball hit her, like she'd been warned. It was too late for her to move and she was struck on the cheek. Lobos also flinched, as though it had also been hit. _Two for one, _Halley thought,_ that sounds pretty good. _Lobos seemed confused by the halt of music as well.

But she hadn't been injured that badly. Halley was confused until he remembered the Lobos could protect all of his allies with one spell. So this time, he used magic. Since the girl's class was probably Darkness, and he didn't have any Light class attacks--pity Alice wasn't here--he continued to throw Air Shot at her.

It quickly turned into a repetitive fight. As long as he cast Air Shot at her, she was unable to control Lobos and couldn't even heal herself. She didn't seem to have any healing spells of her own, since she was making no effort to use them. And Lobos simply seemed confused.

But even as she was getting thrown around on the roof by the attacks, she remained conscious, and she seemed to be getting very angry. _Just how stubborn is this girl?_ Halley wondered. He was starting to see black dots in front of his eyes. He couldn't keep up the spells much longer. "Hey, are you going to give up or not!"

The next spell he threw never hit her. When the wind was about to hit her, she threw up her hand and a wall of earth formed again, blocking the shot. Halley was startled. If she could do that, why hadn't she done it before?

She stood up slowly and dropped down from the roof. She wavered a bit on her feet, and Halley could see that her eyes were a pulsating, vivid green. But-hadn't they been brown before?

"We're angry now, boy," she said. At the same time, Lobos was growling. Her voice seemed different, and she almost seemed to snarl at him. "Why don't you just die?" she said, and then a slow smile started. "But before you die, let's have fun with you."

Halley looked at her, too startled by the sudden change to decide what he should do. Then, rock crashed into him from the back and he fell forward, meeting the ground hard. His back hurt and he knew he was bleeding. He lifted his head to see the pieces of rock laying around him and Lobos in back of him, approaching closer. Halley grabbed his slingshot and turned around, wincing at the pain that move brought and aimed at the wolf's stomach. But the protection spell was still in place and the pain only enraged Lobos further. Lobos grabbed Halley's arm, the same arm the birdmen had attacked, with its jaws and Halley screamed in pain, trying to cast one last Air Shot and get out. But he'd used too much magic and too much of his energy. The black dots appeared and he almost blacked out, but managed to hold onto consciousness. He tried to take his arm out of the grip, but that just brought more agony as he could feel the teeth tearing into his arm.

Maybe he could still use a weaker spell? Not Strong Earth. Aqua Blade. Water. He concentrated as best as he could and then water shot out at Lobos, forcing him to let go and go back. Halley used the chance to go back and used his slingshot again. But his arm was bleeding all over and weak. He tried to pull back the slingshot but wavered, giving Lobos enough time to bat him back down to the ground with his paws. The slingshot fell out of his hands, and this time Halley knew he wouldn't be able to get it back. Instead he tried a spell again--any spell, he didn't care what he used now.

And this time, his mind had definitely had enough. The spell failed, and he was helpless as Lobos picked him up with his jaws and shook him, like a dog with a bone. Pain shot through him and he began drifting in and out of consciousness. Here Lobos flung him down--and there, he reached out weakly in a pathetic attempt to take back his slingshot--then Lobos stepped on him with his front paws, making him cough up blood--

And as he finally fell unconscious, he could hear a girl screaming, shrieking, "Stop!" 


	7. Aftermath

****

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Shadow Hearts, nor do I own any of **their** characters. Wish I did, but I don't. The only characters I own are Persephone and Pan and Christopher (who will probably never be seen again anyways).

**

"Why can't things ever be normal for us?" Margarete complained. "So, that weird aura you guys were talking about…was that Sharon?" She looked curiously at the small girl who was still unconscious in Keith's arms. Margarete had never practiced any form of magic, so she had little ability to sense others' auras and was completely in the dark about what was going on with Sharon.

Alice shook her head. "Sharon's aura was very faint before, but it definitely wasn't it." She started suddenly, her eyes widening as she turned to Keith. "Do you feel that?"

The vampire blinked in confusion and then slowly nodded. "It would seem the aura is gone now. Perhaps Yuri and Zhuzhen took care of them."

"So, no more monsters?" Margarete was definitely crossing her fingers for no more. She'd had enough of the bizarre things for today.

"Well, they could be hiding, but…" Alice looked around, scanning the area. "I don't sense any."

"I am confident that there are none left," Keith said. "But we ought to be taking her to Koudelka," he said. His eyes were cast down on Sharon. "Her aura is still faint, but she seems fine." His voice had a tone of puzzlement.

It was confusing. Her actions might have been explained if she had become berserk, but that usually only happened when someone had finally snapped in the heat of battle. Sharon didn't have to fight, her monsters did that for her—and if she had been fighting long enough to go berserk, she almost certainly would've been injured. But the only mark Alice had been able to find on her was just a light marking of a wolf's teeth on her right hand. It hadn't even penetrated the skin.

Sharon had been acting like one of the monsters too—but why? Had she been possessed? Would they have to do an exorcism?

Alice shuddered as she thought about some of the things she'd said. 'I'm playing' and 'play with me'. Did the Bifronzes really think of killing humans as some kind of game or sport?

And since when had monsters been able to possess humans?

**

Zhuzhen had stopped struggling a while back. The frogs weren't harming him and it was impossible to escape the grasp of their many tongues, so he simply relaxed, saving up his strength.

He was brought out this with a feeling of pain as he simply landed on the ground and looked around in confusion. All of the frogs were gone, and so was the unsettling aura that had been lingering.

The kid might've found it. After all, he had dashed off, yelling something about the flute. Although, what on earth he'd been talking about, Zhuzhen had no clue. He quickly brushed himself off, scowling at the slime on his clothing before running in the direction he had seen Yuri run off in. He began trying to sense Yuri's aura, but for some reason, he couldn't. _Kid couldn't have gotten too far…_He felt his stomach sink as he remembered how suspicious everything had seemed, how he thought it could've been a trap. But…

_No, the kid wouldn't let anyone kill him. He must just be farther away._

As he kept going in that direction though, he felt Halley's aura. It pointed in the direction of a side street that went past some stores, and felt very faint. Zhuzhen went in that direction. Halley might know where Yuri was, and at least then he would know where **someone** else was.

He was halfway to the end of the street when he saw both Halley and Yuri. He was surprised to see Yuri--after all, shouldn't he have sensed his aura as well if both were so close together?

Except-they were both lying on the ground, still. Yuri was face down while Halley was on his back. Both had blood all over them. Yuri was closest, and Zhuzhen quickly checked him first. He had been bleeding from the head, but it was already dried, and both his breathing and pulse seemed normal. Then Zhuzhen hurried over to Halley, not even bothering to heal Yuri. For one thing, the Harmonixer looked fine enough to him, despite the difference in aura, and for another, it looked like Halley was going to need all the help he could get.

Zhuzhen swore as he looked Halley over. He didn't know how the kid was lucky enough to have only scratches while Halley looked like hell. His right arm had been ripped open, so much that Zhuzhen could see some bone poking out. His shirt was torn and stained with blood; when Zhuzhen unbuttoned it, he found what looked like jaw marks on both his front and back; and also on the back was a whole cluster of bruises and small cuts.

Zhuzhen quickly concentrated on healing Halley and managed to at least slow the bleeding from the stomach and the back. The arm he was wary of playing around with. It was too badly injured, and if he healed it wrong, the muscle might heal wrong. Halley might not be able to aim with his slingshot anymore. It was too risky. Zhuzhen decided to go back to Koudelka and hope that Alice had come back as well. She had much more skill as a healer, and would be better able to heal it. For now, he tied Halley's shirt around his arm to keep the wound from bleeding so much.

Zhuzhen awkwardly picked up Halley and looked at Yuri again. He'd have to leave the kid here for the moment while he took Halley back. He didn't worry too much though. After all, the monsters were gone and he wasn't badly injured. It'd only be until Keith could come here and help, since Zhuzhen was sure he couldn't carry the kid alone.

**

Chris stared at them. She must have misheard. That couldn't have been what they said. "You said Sharon was-"

"Acting like a Bifronze," Margarete said again. Seeing the disbelief written plainly on Chris's face, she continued, "Alice says that Sharon's aura actually felt like a Bifronze's too, so maybe she was possessed or something."

Koudelka shook her head. She had been looking Sharon over, but since there was nothing physically wrong with her, there wasn't much they could do right now. Alice and Keith were watching over her, waiting for her to wake up. "A monster like a Bifronze can't possess people," she said. "Monsters lack the ability. Only a few powerful monsters can do that--and even then, the human usually has to agree to it."

"What human would agree to **that**?" Margarete asked incredulously.

Koudelka looked at her and said, "Albert Simon's soul contract with Amon."

"Who?" Joshua asked.

"One of Yuri's fusion souls," she explained to him.

Margarete was confused. "But that wasn't possession. It was a fusion. At least, that's what he said."

The older woman simply smiled. "I think he was just saying that to try and intimidate Yuri. But it wasn't true. Once he transformed into Amon, he lost all control over himself."

Joshua was a lot more concerned about Sharon than the topic of conversation, so he stood up and went to join Keith and Alice. Chris also was worried, but she was a little interested and pretty sure Sharon wouldn't be waking up any time soon.

"Hey…I've been wondering…are there **any** other Harmonixers? I mean, if Simon wasn't one…"

"Harmonixing runs in the bloodline. It's an inherited trait," Koudelka said. "If Yuri has any living relatives on his father's side, then yes. But I don't think he does. Harmonixing has been growing rarer and rarer. The last mention of it in any texts I've seen was…17th century, and just one man. The Hyugas have always had a narrow family tree, it seems."

"Why's that?"

Koudelka shrugged. "The usual reasons, I guess. People with unusual powers are usually called demons and are persecuted. The same probably happened to the Hyuga family. In fact-" she stopped suddenly and stood up. "Halley's coming. And Zhuzhen. I guess they must have met up."

"Really?" Margarete stood up as well in looked in the direction she was facing. In the distance, she could make out Zhuzhen, who held something heavy in his arms, but she couldn't see Halley. As they got closer, she suddenly realized that the thing he was carrying **was** Halley, shirtless.

Koudelka gasped and hurried towards the two as Margarete turned around and said, "Keith, go help Zhuzhen, he's carrying Halley."

Keith looked at her and then at Zhuzhen. He quickly stood and ran after Koudelka, taking Halley from an exhausted Zhuzhen. Taking in the wrapped arm and still bleeding stomach, he called to Alice, "He's injured."

"Margarete, watch Sharon, alright?" Before Margarete could answer, Alice was up and joining the four. She inhaled sharply when she saw how badly he was injured and said, "Set him down Keith."

As they came closer, Margarete quipped, "I'm surprised you could carry him without breaking your back, Zhuzhen!" But Zhuzhen didn't reply and she got a sinking feeling as they passed her and set him down a few feet away from Sharon. Whatever had gotten him had done a pretty good job. Chris looked like she was about to cry as she took in the injuries he'd gotten.

Margarete softly cursed and wondered what else could go wrong. Then she realized there was still one person missing. "Zhuzhen, where's Yuri?"

"He's back on one of the side streets, to the northeast. I think…Bellchase?" He shook his head. "One with a lot of stores. He's unconscious, but not injured except for a few scratches. I think he fainted."

"Bellchase?" Margarete had been through the town the day before and remembered seeing a street sign like that. "Alright, I'll go and see if I can wake the kid up." Even if there weren't any monsters right now, Margarete didn't count out the possibility of their return. They needed to stick together, or else who knew what could happen?

**

Headache. Yuri had a big, huge headache, and he didn't know why. Well, it was probably because he was sleeping on cold, hard ground, but why was he sleeping there?

And his head…even though it hurt a little, it also felt light for some reason…empty…

What had happened?

He sat up and then slowly went through the day. He'd woken up, then they'd gone to Alice's house after being chased, he'd taken a bath, then they went to have a picnic…and then the monsters…and Lilia…

His head…felt strangely empty…

He growled and his fist pounded the ground. He wanted to kill her. She'd done it, just like she said she could. She had taken all twenty of his fusion monsters.

"Hey, kiddo! You're already awake?"

Yuri looked up and saw Margarete, who was waving to him. He got up and she started walking to him, looking him over. "Well, you seem okay…besides the fact that your hair's got blood in it." She looked down curiously at his hands. Yuri followed her gaze and saw the dry, brownish red blood trapped under his nails. "Zhuzhen said it looked like you clawed yourself up, and I gotta agree with him. What happened?"

"I…Where are the others?" he asked.

Margarete looked at him, wondering why he'd just avoided the question. He seemed upset though, and she didn't want to harass him, so she answered his question. "They're all in the park. Halley's pretty bad right now, so Alice is trying to heal him." She remembered something and said, "By the way, Zhuzhen said he found him right by you. What happened to him?"

Yuri looked surprised, and then shook his head, feeling angry. Lilia must have attacked him. "I don't know. I must have fainted before he got here."

"You fainted?" Margarete said incredulously. Yuri found that the tone of her voice was irritating. "How on earth could you have fainted?"

"I don't know, you try having twenty souls getting sucked out of your body and let's see what happens!"

The blonde spy took a step back at this explosion. _Boy, he is pissed off._ Then she thought about what he had said. "You don't mean…your fusion souls?"

He took a deep breath and raked his hair through his fingers. "Yeah. Lilia took my fusion souls."

"Oh hell," Margarete said. This day just kept getting worse and worse.

**

Persephone showed her mistress the flute. Regina reached out and brushed her fingers against it, making it gleam with a red light as the fire monsters responded to her touch.

"So, you got it," she said. "Well done, Pers."

She only nodded and looked at the floor. Curiously, Regina touched her chin and made her look up. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, not looking at her mistress.

"What happened?" Regina pressed, now convinced.

Reluctantly, Persephone said, "I did…something horrible." She remembered the girl and added, "Two. I did two things." And she shuddered, knowing what she had done to her was unforgivable.

"Pers, I have trust in you that you did nothing more than was necessary."

_The girl was necessary as a distraction, but…_ No. She would not mention the girl, it was something she'd rather not dwell on. "A boy. He attacked me. I should've gotten away. If I had tried, maybe I could've, without him hitting me. But instead I summoned one of the monsters from Hyuga, to scare him off."

"Which?"

"Lobos. But he attacked me, and the flute…I couldn't control…" Her eyes started tearing up.

"Persephone," Regina said. "Look at me." Persephone raised her eyes and looked at her, blinking back the tears. "You did only what you thought was necessary."

"I think I killed him," she whispered. She didn't know. As soon as she'd regained control she'd simply called Lobos off and came back to the tower. Persephone hadn't wanted to look.

"No. You would not. I know you too well, you would not have killed him." Regina made sure she looked at her, made sure she understood what she was saying.

"I lost control…Lobos was p-playing with him…" she started crying softly. "I was Lobos…"

Regina wiped away the tears with her thumb and said, "You would have stopped Lobos. I know you, Pers. Trust me. The boy is alive." When Persephone continued crying, she asked softly, "Why are you so concerned? All humans die eventually, if not today, then tomorrow."

"I'm human, too…half…would you not care if I died then?" she asked.

Regina, realizing her mistake, embraced Persephone then and murmured, "Of course I would care. I love you like a daughter."

"I love you as my mother," Persephone said in return, comforted by the answer.

Regina only smiled softly as she patted down Persephone's hair.

** 

****

AN: Thus ends another short (thank goodness) chapter of my story. Quick question, do you prefer longer chapters (like the last one) or shorter chapters (like this one)? Or does it not matter?

OK…and on to the next question…what the heck is it with Sharon? Nothing (besides a bite, and being knocked out) is wrong with her physically! Why does everyone think she's in danger of dying?

Meanwhile, Halley, who I would say has a **lot** wrong with him physically, is being ignored. ::bonks her head into the monitor:: I swear, it's PLG syndrome here.

Yuri: PLG?

Poor Little Girl syndrome. I should've known better than to have both of them injured at the same time…. 

Yuri: By the way, can Koudelka heal people? I think Alice might need some help with Halley.

I really don't know…I tried looking up a walkthrough, but it sounds like in Koudelka they used scrolls for magic…I'm not sure…and I couldn't find any scripts for it either…

Yuri: You haven't played Koudelka?

No…In fact, I'm thinking that I might just have to ignore that the game exists. I don't understand it.

Yuri: One last question.

Shoot.

Yuri: Did you miss your muse?

Nope. I hired my own while you were gone.

Yuri: You WHAT?

Yuri, meet Sword, Staff, Grail, and Gold mask.

Masks: ::come out::

Yuri: ::stares at them and starts cracking his knuckles:: And what are you guys doing here?

Sword Mask: You are going to protect us, right Aegis? You said you would.

Hmm…I don't remember saying anything like **that**…

Masks: ::sweatdrop:: Please?…

Yuri: I'm gonna have lots of fun with you guys…::starts chasing them around the house::

They get along so well, don't they?

**

****

Reviewers:

Before I start, I'd like to say this: If I die in the middle of this fanfic, most likely it'll be because of a Raging Tiger and/or Dragon Wolf. Just so you know.

****

Out for Blood: I'm continuing, I'm continuing! And 'ar' does **not** sound like a roar.

****

Radical Rex: I hope this is fast enough…and why does everyone think Sharon is going to die? I don't think I said she would…

Um…information? I just want to know what kind of spells Koudelka can use. And if you know where a script for Koudelka is online, that would be nice too. Because I'm wondering how Koudelka knew Yuri, to contact him.

****

Gutterfiend: Yep, Yuri's pissed. The whole Regina issue is really complicated, so that answer might take a while to get too…

And thanks for the compliment.

****

Greyfriars: Sharon's fine (for right now). I always did wonder what the heck Margarete was doing in China. Wouldn't it make more sense to meet her in Europe?

Somehow it's a lot easier to picture Roger Bacon living under someone's bed than Albert Simon.

****

Delka: Persephone is a bit scary, isn't she? But there's more to her…Thanks for not giving me a flame.

YES! One person is concerned for Halley! YAY!

Once again, read and review!


	8. My days take forever

                **Disclaimer:  Do I wish I owned Shadow Hearts?  Yes.  Do I own it?  No.  End of story.**

**

            "So, who's Lilia anyway?" Margarete asked.  Yuri started walking alongside her, slowly heading back to the park.

            "I met her on the job I took before you guys came," he said.  "She claimed to be an exorcist, but she's really a summoner."

            She stopped and looked at him.  "She wouldn't happen to have been the one summoning all those monsters, would she?"  When he nodded, she scowled.  "So what happened after she took them?"

            He shook his head.  "I fainted."

            "Oh…duh…that was a stupid question," Margarete said, hitting herself on the forehead to prove it.  "So, why do you think she took them?"

            _Because I pissed Regina off…  _Yuri stopped suddenly as he realized this.  Was everything that had happened today his fault?  After all, the only reason Lilia had come to take his fusion souls was because...If he had just sat down and listened to Regina last night, none of this would've happened…

But now, more than ever, he was sure that she was trouble…why else would she have gotten innocent people involved?

            "Yuri."

            He looked up from the bricks in the street to Margarete, who was concerned about how distant he was.  "You feeling alright, kiddo?  You're not going to faint again, are you?"

            Yuri shook his head.  "No…it's just…I'm used to there being something else up there," he said vaguely, pointing at his head.  He felt strange without the fusion souls, almost like he was in someone else's body.  It didn't help that he was being interrogated.

            "Yuri, you never had a brain," Margarete said teasingly.

            Yuri blinked twice, wondering what she was talking about, and then laughed as he got the joke.  "I left myself wide open on that one, didn't I?"

            "Yep," she said, glad he was laughing.  He was okay, then, at least.  "Let's hurry up.  Who knows what'll happen when Sharon wakes up."

            "Sharon?  What happened to her?" Yuri asked.

**

**[A Child's Dream]__**

_            There was something very heavy on top of her, weighing down on her.  She was able to breathe, but couldn't move very well.  She felt the thing on top of her; she felt a button and soft cloth, like a shirt.  A person was on top of her._

_            She tried to move out from underneath, but it was very hard.  Her arms and legs seemed all odd, but she finally squirmed out into the daylight._

_            The first thing she noticed was the man who had been lying on top of her as she turned around.  He was a big, strong-looking man, wearing a green shirt and pants.  He had blonde hair and brown eyes that stared ahead, unseeing.  His hair and shirt were covered with blood.  His face was captured in one last expression of utter horror._

_            He was dead._

_            She backed away in surprise, and her foot hit against something soft.  The girl looked down and saw an old woman, also dead.  Her expression was hard to make out because her face seemed--blurry?  Panicking, she looked up and around._

_            There were stores all around her--the marketplace, she guessed.  At this time of day, there would usually be some people selling and buying their things._

_            There were no shoppers around. But there were plenty of corpses, scattered throughout the street.  She shook her head in disbelief and then ran, wanting to get out of here, see something that was living.  A feeling of expectation led her to keep running in one direction, into a subdivision of houses.  As far as she could see there were bodies of all different ages and sizes, dead, strangely blurred together into a sea of flesh and blood._

_            Then, a loud wail alerted her to a girl about her age.  She was sitting on the ground, her back turned, probably unaware of her.  Her form was vague and blurred, but it was easy to see that she was kneeling over another person._

_            "Please, wake up…wake up!  Don't leave me!" she screamed, scaring the observer.  "I promise, I'll be good…I won't do anything bad, ever again!  Wake up, mommy, please!" and she broke down, sobbing over the undoubtedly dead mother._

_            And then abruptly she stood and turned, aware of her watcher.  Her face and body were covered like all the others in blood-but it wasn't her own.  The haze that surrounded her face and the scenery cleared, and Sharon screamed, seeing her own face, colored crimson._

**

            After healing both back and stomach, Alice and Koudelka were ready to take on the daunting task of healing an arm.  _This would be a lot easier if it had been a clean cut, Alice thought as Koudelka started, guiding the sinews of the muscle slowly back together, taking care that they were connected properly.  _Like when Yuri's arm got cut off…_  Then again, it had also helped that he had Thera Leaves on him._

            Wait, Yuri did keep restorative items, in case of a job.  This could be a lot easier if one of them just went and…  But splitting up still didn't seem like a good idea, not now.  Besides that, it was locked, and she remembered Yuri had said a few days ago that he didn't have any Thera roots.

            So Alice gave up on that idea and began assisting Koudelka in the healing.  Since Koudelka was actually putting the arm back together, Alice simply concentrated on rejuvenating Halley and giving him strength.  Despite the fact that they'd been healing him since Margarete had left--why weren't they back anyway?--Halley hadn't stirred even a bit.  He was probably exhausted mentally as well as physically and there was only so much healing magic could do.  Alice was willing to bet he'd sleep through the whole night, still several hours away, without waking up.

            She was distracted a bit by the sounds coming from behind her.  Sharon seemed to be coming to; she could hear her voice.  But when Alice turned around to check on her briefly, she was still sleeping, only whispering things.  She was tossing around nervously, like she was trying to get away from something.

            "Is she alright?" she asked Keith.  He, along with Joshua and Chris, was watching the girl apprehensively, wondering the same thing.

            "She's dreaming."

            "It looks like a nightmare," Alice said, turning fully away from Halley.  "Should we, um, wake her up?"

             Keith frowned.  "I'm not so sure if that would be a good idea-"

            Sharon suddenly screamed and jerked awake, stopping Keith mid-sentence.  She took deep, shuddering breaths, her whole body trembling while she stared at nothing.  Everyone could hear her crying.  Chris touched her shoulder, but Sharon shifted away.

            "Sharon…how do you feel…?" Alice asked softly, hopefully in a comforting manner.  She really couldn't be sure at this point.

            Sharon turned her head towards Alice.  "I-_Halley!"_

            Alice turned her head, already knowing that Sharon had seen Halley, since he was right behind her.  "Don't worry Sharon-"

            "I-I didn't…do anything to him, right?"

            Alice looked at Sharon and realized that she must be scared that she had hurt someone.  "He'll be fine.  And you didn't hurt anyone."  _At least, not that badly, she amended silently.  Alice was relieved.  Sharon was certainly upset, but she was sure that it **was** Sharon--and not a Bifronze.  "Do you remember what happened?"_

            Sharon only looked down at the ground and shook her head a little.  Alice said nothing, knowing that she didn't want to talk about it right now.  It probably would be best to leave her alone, at least until she felt better.

            Sharon was confused about the nightmare she had just had.  If she hadn't hurt anyone, why had she had a dream about a whole village, destroyed by monsters?  Why had she dreamed that she'd killed her own mother?  She didn't even remember her…

            "Margarete's got Yuri," Koudelka announced, making Alice and Keith look up.  Keith was confused; he could tell Margarete was getting near, but he didn't sense Yuri at all.  Alice knew both were coming, but something about Yuri's aura seemed to be missing.  That was strange.

            Seeing their confused expressions, Zhuzhen remarked, "Something's changed about the kid, but I'm not sure what it is."

            Margarete and Yuri both came in their direction.  Yuri seemed distracted and worried, which was unusual for him.  But it still didn't explain his aura.

            "How's Halley doing?" Margarete asked first, taking a look at him.  He seemed pretty good now.  Alice and Koudelka were really great healers.

            "He's fine," Koudelka replied.  "What about you Yuri?"

            "I'm fine," he said.

            Zhuzhen raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, if you're completely fine, why is your aura so different?"

            "It is?"  Zhuzhen nodded and Yuri sighed.  "I guess…that might be because all my fusion souls are gone."

            Alice stared at him blankly.  "Gone?" she repeated incredulously.  "How on earth did that happen?"

            "Uh…"  He scratched the back of his head, trying to think of how to explain.  "You know how I told you a few days back I met an exorcist?  Lilia?"

            "Yeah…" she said slowly, not knowing where he was going with this.

            "Well, I kind of found out today she's a summoner.  She, pretty much she took all of fusion souls from me.  And she's also the one who summoned all of the monsters."

            "She did all this…for your fusion souls?" Keith asked.

            Yuri hesitated.  He did know the real reason behind this, but that would involve explaining his last two dreams, and about Regina…and he really didn't know too much about her.  If he told them, Alice would be all worried, and she might try to help, maybe even force her way into the Graveyard like she did once before.  Seeing as Regina definitely did not like her, he didn't want that happening…

            There wasn't anything useful or reassuring he could tell them, so maybe he should just wait until tonight, and get some answers then.  For now…  "Guess so," he said.  Looking down at Halley's healed arm, he added, "Look, let's just take Halley back to your house, okay Alice?  Your mom's probably worried about you."

            Alice's eyes widened as she realized how right Yuri was.  "Can you carry Halley, Yuri, or should Keith-"

            "Geez!  I'm fine, I'm fine," Yuri muttered, bending down to pick up Halley.  As they walked out of the park, with him, Zhuzhen, and the children at the back, he turned and looked at Sharon.  "Feeling alright?  Margarete told me…"

            "That summoner you were talking about," she started, "Does she have brown hair and a red dress?"

            Yuri stopped, startled by the accurate description.  "You saw her?  When was this?"

            Sharon bit her lip and looked up pleadingly.  "She told me she was a summoner.  She said she'd teach me how to control the monsters I summon, but…instead, I…"

            He said nothing, knowing from Margarete what had happened.  Yuri had thought it was an accident when she'd told him.  Why would someone make it happen on purpose?  _How the hell could she do something like that?  Using a little girl…_

            Sharon mistook his angry expression to mean that he was mad at her.  "I'm sorry, I didn't know it would happen," she said.

            "It's alright, Sharon.  It wasn't your fault at all.  Lilia's the one responsible."

            Instead of looking happier though, she looked down at the ground.  "I wish I wasn't a summoner.  All I'll do is hurt people."

            "Don't worry about that!" Joshua said.  "You'll learn how to control your monsters," he predicted optimistically.

            Sharon looked at him and said, "You think so…?"

            He nodded, with more than his usual energy.  Yuri could tell he was trying hard to cheer her up.  "Yeah!  You're the best summoner I know!"

            Zhuzhen could barely suppress a smile on overhearing this.  _She's the only summoner you know._  Sharon cheered up though, glad that he was so confident.

**

            "Hmm…"

            "Yes?"

            Regina glanced in one direction towards a shut door.  She still hadn't come out of there.  "I'm beginning to regret having allowed Persephone to go."

            Pan snorted.  "That child…perhaps it's better she's off **my** hands.  God, one mortal and she's weeping.  Absolutely pathetic."

            "Stop that, Pan," Regina warned, glaring at him.  "Though my powers are diminished, don't think you can insult me, or those who serve me.  You yourself would have been a mortal and died long ago had you not hid yourself like a coward!"

            "And then you wouldn't have had a prayer to get Hyuga," he said cockily.

            "Perhaps," Regina said.  "But, have you considered something?  Now that we've rediscovered the Hyuga line, now that I have Persephone…how necessary are you?  Do I really need you?  Perhaps you're too troublesome."  She smirked.

            Pan paled as he realized she was right.  If she wanted, she could get rid of him now…and he had some experience with how Regina got rid of people.  "My…my apologies, Regina.  Please…"

            She laughed suddenly, ignoring his plea.  "Don't worry Pan.  You may still be useful.  In fact, I wonder…you should know…I was planning to undo the spell here, but I doubt I'll be able to string Hyuga long enough to get him here."  She grimaced and added, "Especially since Persephone harmed one of his companions."

            "So…"

            "Syth will channel me, but then my magic will be even lesser.  So I need a place where magic is strengthened.  Preferably someplace close to where he is."

            Pan thought of it, trying to remember a place he had often heard about in nightmares.  "I know just the place…"

**

            After Alice had reassured her mother that she was perfectly fine, she joined the others downstairs.

            "Well," she said, "I think that was the worst picnic ever."

            Everyone agreed with her.  "We got our butts kicked by a little girl," Margarete said in disbelief.  She had been like this ever since she got a full description from Yuri of Lilia.  She had been picturing somebody a little more imposing, something like Olga.  Not a teenager.

            "Well, we weren't exactly ready for a fight," Zhuzhen pointed out.

            Yuri yawned and asked, "Is Halley staying here?"  The boy had been dumped unceremoniously onto the couch and was resting there.  "Maybe we should all stay in here tonight," he suggested.  "We'll just take this room, alright?"

            Alice said, "Sure," and then went upstairs to tell her mother.  It would be best if they all stayed together for a while.  She had a feeling that the trouble was just beginning.

**

Reviewers: 

**PoopooPlaTTer:**  Um, seeing as how most of the people resurrected come back as soulless beings, that doesn't sound like a very good idea!  But thanks anyway!

**Gutterfiend:**

Yuri:  Man…toy…?  ::starts twitching::

Oh, chill.  I'll make sure it doesn't get **too** bad…besides, you might like it.

Yuri:  No I won't!

Thanks for the information on Koudelka.  I think I might just ignore it, but the only problem is then I either have to cut out Koudelka, or risk making her OOC.  Um, so…if she ever turns OOC, tell me please.

**Dragon Wolf:**   Okay, one less death threat  ::looks over her shoulder for Raging Tiger::

Sharon is very much a newbie.  I'm considering making her a major character in this story though.  I think Delka is talking about Yuri losing his fusion souls, not you coming out of Double-R, so you don't have to worry.

I'm trying to write, but I'm getting the biggest writer's block ever!  It's very frustrating.

**Delka:**  Honestly, I can't really imagine how it would feel to get a soul sucked out of your body.  I tried to describe it as best as I could, but I'm kind of confused on that myself.

**Greyfriars:**  Thanks also for giving me info on Koudelka.

Yuri:  'Femore'?  'Femore'?  Then again, he does say some pretty crazy things…

I didn't realize it was mostly spoken.  That makes it sound even more interesting.  Maybe I should get it.  I got your e-mail, and it **kinda** fits in with the chapter, so I'm going to leave the whole healing thing alone.  Thanks again.

**Radical Rex:**  I am sorry if I seemed like I was pissed off.  I didn't mean for it to sound that way.  I was just a little ticked, because I expected the order of sympathy to be Halley-Yuri-Sharon (because, he's pretty injured, and she's a minor character in the game).  So when I got something more like Sharon-Yuri-Halley, I was like, 'What on earth?'

This will probably affect Sharon throughout the story, but no, she's fairly back to normal.

…I'll make sure Halley gets beat up a lot just for that.

Yuri:  Yeah!  I'm the best!

No you aren't.  You don't even have your fusion souls right now.  Best is Keith.  Second best is Alice.

Halley:  What about me?

…I don't even use you after the orphanage most of the time.  But you are a pretty neat character to write a battle for.  I liked writing about that fight.

Halley:  I got beat up!

Exactly.

Halley:  I don't like you.

**Nights Mistress:**  Persephone's name?  It kind of has something to do with her, but honestly?  It's a cool name.  That was my main reason for choosing it.

**

Most reviewers said either they like variation in the chapters, while others said they like longer chapters but don't like the fact that they take longer to write.  So it'll mostly be short chapters, but I'll throw in some longer chapters.

**

**Questions:**

1. What age would you say Sharon and Joshua are about?

At any point in the game, do they say anything about the orphans' families? What direction do you honestly think this story's going in?  I'm afraid people are not going to like the kind of story this actually is… Who do you think the mystery pairing is? Would it be believable if some of the storyline actually took place on a different world, or would it be too farfetched, keep it on earth?  (I've got ideas for the latter, but in the beginning I thought it would be the former one) 


	9. Seals and Illusions

****

Disclaimer: Um, if you don't know that I don't own Shadow Hearts by now…I'm worried.

**

****

Reviewers:

Tiger5913: Yeah, they are pretty cute. And practically the easiest pair to write about other than Yuri and Alice.

****

Celine Flac the sorceress: Oooh…long pen name. By the way, I checked your bio out…go Artemis/Holly!

About Keith/Margarete…I like them too, but I don't know how to write about them. It's very frustrating, but I'll see if I can do more about them later on.

****

Radical Rex: Well, Gutterfiend and Greyfriars both say there's no mention of the orphan's families in the game. So if you're saying she couldn't have only because of her age, first of all, there's an explanation for that. Second of all, don't assume a dream means something just because the character interprets it a certain way.

And I think a fic does have to be believable to a certain degree. For example, if I suddenly produced man-eating dinosaurs all named Bessie, I think you'd stop reading pretty quick.

Yuri: Bessie dinosaurs?

It's from FoxTrot, okay? And Koudelka will probably remain a minor character.

****

Delka: Thanks for the review! Yay!

****

Gutterfiend: Thanks for telling me about the orphan's families…

Hmm…all these reviews about characters dying. Maybe I **should **kill someone off…

Regina: Make it Alice, make it Alice…

Noo! I can't kill her off! That'd be too sad…at one point when thinking about this story though, I did have it end with Yuri's death. But I've changed the story since then, so that probably won't happen.

Yuri: (Lets out a sigh of relief)

****

Nights Mistress: Yay! People show concern for Halley! By the way, he wakes up in this chapter-

Yuri: You're spoiling the story.

It's called a teaser! Besides, if he slept any longer he'd be in a coma or something.

****

Greyfriars: Thanks also for telling me about the families. Yeah, by now Sharon is pretty much becoming a more important character, even though it wasn't originally planned that way…

Yuri: The plot is changing all the time. It's really pretty messy…

I like to compare it to a road trip from California to New York, with poor directional skills and lots of tourist traps.

Yuri: That's not reassuring, Aegis.

**

****

Author's Note: Okay, at first I thought Sharon was maybe 7 or 8, but most people say 6 or maybe even 5. I guess this shows how good I am at guessing ages… (sweatdrop)

Gutterfiend is the only person who tried to guess about the story. But all of it was right. There is going to be a lot of crazy stuff (especially in this chapter [Two days in one chapter, a new record!]) and Alice **is **going to be in a lot of trouble. Poor Alice…

Yuri: Why are you being mean to her?

It's in my nature. But most people were nice to me and said an alternate world would be believable, seeing as all the strange things that happen in Shadow Hearts.

Just a little warning, the train scene later in the chapter might seem kind of odd. I wrote that part kind of later at night. Also, I called save points 'resting spots'. I know. I'll have to explain that later. This whole chapter seems a bit shaky.

And the mystery pairing is…

Yuri/Regina!

Yuri: WHAT?!

Regina: Yay! (Hugs him)

Yuri: Aegis, you better be joking or I'm going to—

Alright, alright…and the mystery pairing is…

Alice/Halley!

Yuri&Alice&Halley: AEGIS!

Regina: Aww…

What?!

Yuri: Hello! Alice is 5 years older than Halley, at least!

So? You're four years older than her.

Yuri: But she's my girlfriend!

Cradle robber.

Yuri: (Starts cracking his knuckles)

(sweatdrop) Okay, okay. The mystery pairing is Halley/Persephone. Gutterfiend and Double-R were right. Happy now?

Halley&Persephone: We're not.

Anyway, at this point all pairings other than Yuri/Alice are more hypothetical. They might be the only pairing, or we might have all four (four if Joshua/Sharon is counted). On the plus side, we do have some Regina/Yuri action in this chapter! (Which was added in a fit of "Let's torture Yuri!")

Yuri: Please tell me you're joking.

I'm not.

Regina: Yay! (Tackles him to the ground this time)

Have fun Yuri!

**

This time, Yuri brought himself to the Graveyard. He liked it better when the visit was willingly rather than forced; for some reason, it made things less dream-like.

At first, though, he was sure it had to be a nightmare. There were the graves, each carved with their symbol, but they were cracked and worn, as though years had passed since he'd last been here instead of a day. He walked towards the first set of graves, of Water, Fire and Earth. Since the Fire gravestone wasn't shining, he guessed that Regina wasn't here yet. Good. He wanted some time to himself, without worrying that something was going to happen.

He walked down the steps and moved on to the next two. Light and Air stood next to each other and he noticed that they were similar to the first three, worn down. Curiously, he touched the Light gravestone. Usually when they were touched, he felt an emotion become stronger in him. If he was getting close to gaining another fusion soul, he could feel an energy in the stone that would pulse to the beat of a heart. But when he touched it now, he felt cold stone--and a strange feeling inside of him. It had to be the emotion, but it felt different from what he had felt before. Keeping his hand to the stone, he tried to think of what its usual emotion it was. Concern. Concern for companions. But this definitely wasn't concern. It was cold, colder than the stone. Indifference?

He took his hand back, looking at the stone. Now that he wasn't touching it, the feeling faded away, but he was growing more intrigued by this. Was it just this grave, or were all the graves now with different emotions? Not just different-but totally opposite.

Yuri walked back now to the Water grave, since he remembered best what that emotion was. Sorrow. Standing in front of it, studying the grave, he came up with its opposite, joy, and then touched the grave, expecting to feel that.

It wasn't joy, but it definitely wasn't sorrow. It didn't feel like much in fact; it was more like a void in him than anything else. An inability to feel sorrow or regret for anything.

A void…then again, indifference would come from having no concern, wouldn't it? So instead of giving different emotions, the graves were…

Experimentally, he walked from each grave of Fire, Water, and Earth, feeling the different emotions vanish at their touch. Then, he reached out and touched two at the same time, feeling both emotions vanish.

_I like this_, Yuri thought suddenly, startled. It became an amusing game to him, to experience an emotion, focusing on certain memories to make it stronger, then touching a stone and feeling it wiped from his mind, only to return in full force when he broke contact. He started wondering what exactly the graves had to do with each emotion.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Yuri started suddenly, breaking his contact with the Earth stone, making a rage return that the sight of Regina did not help. "What do you want?" he snapped, feeling both irritated and foolish.

Regina was taken aback by this, but said with just a touch of sarcasm, "I thought there might be something you would want." She pointed at the graves.

"Yeah, I got your message from Lilia," he said. "But I can't say I'm happy with the other things she did. From what Alice says, Halley was beaten up pretty badly."

Regina shook her head, stung by the mention of Alice. "That was not her fault. He started the fight."

__

I wonder if that's really true… "And what about Sharon?"

All he got was an impatient shrug. "Am I to answer for everything she did? All I told her was to get you to listen. It was up to her to decide what was necessary to be done."

Well. **That **wasn't going to get him anywhere. "Fine. What the hell do you have to tell me that's so important?"

"You wouldn't believe me." That was all, and then she simply stood there.

This was, of course, **not** an acceptable answer. "So you're not going to tell me?" Yuri asked in disbelief. He started walking towards her, almost yelling, "After everything Lilia did today, now there's no point to it?! I swear, I'm going to-"

"I didn't say that," she said. "But I need to give you proof, obviously. If I didn't, no doubt you would choose that girl's word over mine."

"And you have proof?" Yuri said skeptically.

Regina turned away then. "Yes. I have proof."

Yuri folded his arms. "So show me it."

She shook her head gently. "That's not how it works." She walked away from him, with confident, graceful steps, then turned to him again. "We have to meet in the physical world, not your spiritual world. It cannot work here."

"But…?" He could tell, there definitely was a 'but'.

She smiled a soft, sad smile. "No, I cannot come to the village you live in. Neither can Persephone, or Lilia as you call her, bring you my proof. I must bring it to you myself."

"Why can't you come to the town?"

"…I am trapped." Yuri opened his mouth, but she motioned for him to be quiet. "Please, do not ask why. Even if I did explain, once again, you would not believe me." Tears came into her eyes as she said this. "You would never believe me. You never did."

He felt a sense of guilt wash over him as she cried a few silent tears. He tried to push it away; she was just a good actress, she was lying anyway, she didn't deserve any sympathy from him. And yet…seeing those eyes full of tears…

No. Yuri quickly looked down. Why? Why couldn't he look into her eyes and not feel moved? _Is it that…I really did once know her?_

"So…how do we meet?" he asked once she had composed herself.

Regina pushed some of her fiery hair back with one hand and said, "There is a place where I can meet you, and give you the proof. Do you know of the Nemeton Monastery?"

His eyes narrowed. _Why there?_ But he nodded. "I know where it is."

"Meet me in the ruins. Persephone and I will both be there. She will give you your fusion souls back and then I will give you my proof. By the way, bring the Flare Brooch." She paused and pursed her lips, before adding, "Come alone."

"You want me to come meet you in the middle of those monster-infested ruins, by myself?" The tone in his voice showed his incredulity. "Excuse me, it's hard enough to come there without my fusion souls, but **alone**? I probably wouldn't survive."

It did hurt his pride to bring that up, but that was better than being killed. Besides, it was **her** fault that he wasn't exactly in the best fighting condition right now.

"Persephone is a summoner; like she did with the banshees, she will make sure that the monsters are calm," Regina said placidly. "They will not attack you."

"Okay. And how do I know this isn't some sort of ambush?" Yuri said stubbornly.

Regina arched a fine eyebrow at him. "Yuri, if I wanted you dead, you already would be. You were unconscious for a time. Persephone could have killed you then." It was a slight lie, but true enough in effect.

"What if I say I won't come?"

"Hmm." Regina closed her eyes, wishing he wouldn't be so perverse; but that was probably only the spell. "Let me see. In that case, Persephone would keep your fusion souls. I imagine she could have quite a lot of fun with them. After all, how do you think she injured that boy?"

Yuri shook his head, wanting to deny it. _Halley was injured…by one of my fusion souls?_ His shoulders slumped. Defeat. He'd have to come, or people could get killed. "Where are we meeting in Nemeton?"

"Near the resting spot, towards the end. When is the soonest you can come?"

"I…" The Harmonixer made a show of thinking, wondering when could possibly be a good time. Answer: never.

Regina grew nervous when he didn't answer and said, "Please, come as soon as you are able." Her voice was pleading, and Yuri felt a hand grab his. Her skin…it felt like there was a fire beneath, but it also flowed through her, like…water? He looked up and saw those crimson eyes, begging. _Give her the truth._

"In…I can come in two days…" he managed, staring into her eyes, finding it hard to focus on anything else. They were so soft and deep and warm…

She smiled. "Thank you…"

The next thing began in a moment of confusion. Afterwards, Regina would believe Yuri had started it, and Yuri would always maintain she had done it. But whoever started it, it didn't change the fact that the two of them were kissing, first hesitantly and unsure, then becoming more urgent and passionate. Regina's eyes slowly closed as she basked in the once familiar pleasure, and she could not resist reaching up to his face--

And then he jerked away, staring at her like she'd grown another head. He was trembling. Yuri was trembling, out of some strange fear he couldn't explain. What the hell had possessed him to do that? Kissing her…he hadn't even been aware he was doing it until she touched him on the cheek.

Regina's eyes looked lost, not knowing why he had stopped. He was turning away from her now, she who had given him so much. "Hyuga-"

"Are we done here?" His voice was cold, but a small tremor betrayed him.

She looked down, trying to calm her feelings. God, why couldn't she just take him now? She **needed **him, and she felt sure that she could take him now.

No. There was a plan, she'd set it long ago, and she would follow it. There would be no mistakes this time.

"Yes. That is all," she finally said.

Yuri started walking to the gate, wanting to get away from her as quickly as possible.

"One more thing." Yuri stopped and looked back at her. Her face had a curious expression, one he couldn't figure out. "You might not want to tell your companions about this."

__

Be more specific.

"About?"

"Everything. They'll never understand. They're mortals, they can't be expected to."

"You make it sound like I'm something else," Yuri snapped, his temper starting to flare again.

"Yes. You are. And you have the potential to become much more," she said enigmatically.

He couldn't stand the confusion and games any longer, or whatever she was hinting at. He opened the gates and the Graveyard disappeared.

**

Dawn found Alice walking down the stairs. She had woken up ten minutes ago and, watching the sunrise, had thought that maybe she should check on the children and get a bite to eat.

She was about to walk past the living room when she realized that Yuri was awake. He had chosen to sleep with the children rather than with Zhuzhen and Keith in the guestroom, and was now lying on his back with his legs going up along the wall. A very weird position to relax in, but that was Yuri. She walked up to him, taking care not to disturb Sharon or Chris, and asked in a whisper, "Sleep well?"

"Yeah," he said, but it looked like he'd woken up before he wanted to. His eyes were dull and tired.

She kneeled down by him, straightening her nightgown as she did so. "How long have you been awake?"

He thought about this. "…A while." Yuri's fingers brushed against his lips thoughtfully.

She looked up at where he had been staring earlier, but it was only white ceiling. "What's so interesting?"

No answer came for a while, but finally he sighed and said, "You know that dream I told you about yes…the day before yesterday?" Alice shook her head, confused. "The dream in the Graveyard-"

"I remember," she said suddenly, recalling the conversation. "Did you have another?"

_Two._ "Yeah. Remember the woman I told you about?"

She remembered a mention of a woman and nodded.

"Does she seem at all familiar to you?" Yuri asked curiously. After all, if Regina knew Alice, it stood to reason that Alice would know her too, right?

"Describe her again," Alice asked.

"She's taller than you, almost as tall as me, she's got long red hair and eyes that are a darker red, pale skin…"

Alice could almost picture the woman in her mind, a hazy threatening shape. "Yes, she does seem familiar for some strange reason. But who could have red eyes?" Alice said. "I've never heard of that. Doesn't sound human."

_Maybe she's not,_ Yuri thought. She was pretty strange, and not just with the eyes. Add to that the fact that she talked like she wasn't mortal and was worshipped as a goddess…something was definitely different about her. "Do you remember her?"

Alice blinked at what she thought was a bizarre question. "Yuri, I've never heard of a woman like that. Though it seems familiar…maybe in a dream?…" She trailed off, and then suddenly said, "But she seems evil to me."

Yuri definitely couldn't argue with that. What she had said about Alice making him forget her…well, if Alice **had**, then why would she even admit that Regina's description was familiar?

But then, why didn't Alice remember her? He didn't think she would lie, unless…

_Did we both forget?_

"…stening, Yuri?"

"Huh?"

Alice smiled at his confusion. "I asked if you were listening. What did you dream about?"

"Um…I don't…" Should he tell her now? He still couldn't offer any definite answers, and the idea of him going into Nemeton Monastery alone wouldn't clear with Alice. "…I need to visit Roger Bacon," Yuri said suddenly, his eyes widening as he realized what he could do.

"What?" Alice asked, startled.

He dropped his legs and rolled onto them so he was facing Alice. "Listen, I don't have my fusion souls anymore. And I need to figure out a way to get them back. Who else would know more about that? I mean, he knows **everything**."

"But…right now?"

"Uh…" _Shit! I told Regina two days, why did I have to do that?_ "Yeah. I mean…what if something like yesterday happens again? It'd be a lot easier with fusion souls," he pointed out.

"Yeah…But you'll miss most of the week, maybe all," Alice said, "Unless…we could all go…yes!" Her eyes lit up with the idea. "Why don't we do that once Halley's awake? I bet the children would love to see his house. I don't think he'd mind…"

Yuri mentally crossed his fingers. "But your mother isn't going to let you go, is she?"

"Well…I'm going to talk to her," Alice said. "It's not like she can keep me here forever. It might take a while, but I'll convince her." She winked at him cheerfully, standing up. "How's about some breakfast now?"

He smiled, but it was a little weak. "Yeah, sure. I could use a little coffee."

**

"Roger?" Margarete looked a little doubtful. "Sure he'll like having ten more people in his house?"

"We could always camp outside," Keith told her.

"Ick."

"Wow! An alien spaceship? Cool!" Joshua yelled, not caring that it was only eight in the morning and that others in the house were still sleeping.

"Of course it's not an actual spaceship," Alice said, laughing at his enthusiasm. "Just looks a little like one."

"I'm not sure if he'll really know a way," Koudelka said doubtfully. "But I guess he is the best person to ask, since Yuri doesn't know any Harmonixers." She looked around. "Where is he, anyway?"

"At his flat," Alice answered. He'd said he needed to pick up something and then had left.

Zhuzhen cleared his throat and said. "Just one problem. How are we paying for the train ride?"

The table was silent. Obviously Alice had not thought of that problem yet. That long of a ride would cost quite some money…how would she pay for it?

Suddenly Margarete laughed, sounding rather devilish. "There's more than one advantage to being a spy. I can get you on almost any train, free of charge."

"Um…you're not going to bomb anything, right?" Alice asked, remembering the train station in Fengtian she had bombed.

Margarete looked irritated while Keith chuckled. "Of course not!" Then she whacked Keith on the head. "And you! Just be quiet. It'll be fine, trust me."

"Then we're going?" Alice asked, to make sure everyone was fine with the change in plans.

Koudelka nodded. "Just as soon as the others are awake."

Then, Margarete heard a groan coming from the living room. Curiously, she stood up from her place at the dining room table and walked down the hallway, where she stopped. "Hey," she called back to the table, "It looks like Sleeping Beauty is waking up."

"Shut up," were Halley's first words upon finally waking up.

**

Yuri actually had to pick up a few things from the flat. First, a change of clothes, since he'd slept without changing. Then he got the bags for the children, so they could change. The Flare Brooch, as Regina had told him to.

However, still skeptical, he also got his claws, along with the few restorative items he had and his armor. It couldn't hurt to be prepared.

**

"How do you feel, Halley?"

"Fine," he mumbled.

"How's your arm? It looked pretty bad yesterday."

Halley looked down at his arm. There was a small scar, where he could tell it had been ripped apart, but it was otherwise all right. "It feels fine."

"And your back?"

"Alice, I'm fine," he said pleadingly. "Can I get off the couch now?"

The others watched Alice's examination of Halley with amusement. She wouldn't allow him to stand up, fearful that he might collapse, apparently. She was always like this when people got injured badly.

"Alice, you helped heal him yourself," Koudelka pointed out. "With how much rest he's gotten, he should be fine."

"Well…" Alice looked him over one more time and said, "I just wanted to be sure." She backed away, allowing him to stand up.

"So…What happened anyway?" Halley asked. "All I remember was getting torn up by Lobos."

"What?!" Margarete demanded.

Halley shook his head. "The girl…Lilia…she summoned Lobos after she took it from Yuri. You guys didn't see it?"

Alice shook her head. "Zhuzhen found both you and Yuri unconscious. Yuri was all right and woke up quickly, but you've been unconscious…for quite some time. Almost a day."

"Oh." _Who was screaming 'stop' then?_ Halley wondered. "Why didn't you guys come sooner?"

"We were rather busy with Sharon," Margarete said.

"She lost control of her monsters again, didn't she?" Halley asked, glancing at the still sleeping girl.

"In a way," Keith said. "The monsters took control of her."

"What?"

"She began to act like a monster," the vampire explained.

Halley looked at him and then shook his head, thinking it couldn't possibly be true. "No…no way. You've got to be joking. That's never happened before."

"We were pretty surprised ourselves," Margarete said softly.

"Sharon's fine now Halley," Koudelka said. "She had a few nightmares last night but eventually she calmed down."

Hearing this, Halley relaxed and then sat down by Sharon. "I hope so…" He looked at her sleeping, with her short brown hair scattered all over the white pillow. "She was one of the first London Rats. Before Chris and way before Joshua."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Who knows how long she's been an orphan…nobody in London even knew who she was. We tried asking around, but even old Carl didn't know anything about her."

"It doesn't matter now," Joshua said impatiently. "She's one of us!"

Halley grinned at that. "Yep, she's one of us."

They heard a sigh and Chris sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Joshua, do you have to be so loud…? Halley!"

"Shh!"

"What's everyone yelling about…?" Sharon opened her eyes and then sat up and launched herself at Halley, screaming, "You're awake!"

"Agh…Sharon…no…choking…" Halley complained as he was practically strangled by a hug.

The adults had a good laugh as both girls began bombarding Halley with the same questions Alice had asked. Then the doorbell rung and Alice went to let Yuri in, telling him that Halley was awake.

"Poor him," he commented, looking in the living room. "Did you tell your mom yet?"

Alice's eyes widened. She had completely forgotten. Or, more like chosen to forget. It wasn't exactly something she was looking forward to. "I'll go talk to her right now," she said and vanished up the staircase.

Yuri sighed and dropped the kids' bags. He sincerely hoped that Alice couldn't come with. If she couldn't come, then most likely the others would not be coming with. He had a bad feeling about this whole thing, and the fact that Regina obviously hated Alice did not make it better.

**

"She says I can go."

_Damn it all to hell,_ Yuri thought even as he smiled and laughed, helping Sharon and Joshua get ready to go.

**

[Alice's POV]

Maybe I worry too much, but I can't help feeling that Yuri isn't telling me something.

His smiles this morning were faked. Now that we're on the train, they're becoming even more obvious, and he looks worried. I asked him if something was wrong once, and he just smiled and told me nothing could be wrong.

The fact that I'm a Demon Eyes is not helping. I can sense that he's worried and afraid and it is getting me frustrated that he won't tell me anything at all. I only want to help…

But then again, it's nothing new. If he thought he would have half a chance, he would probably have gone up against God on his own. Sometimes Yuri is just too proud and stubborn to admit he needs help.

I suppose that's one of the things I love about him, although only after he's finally admitted it. In the meantime, I guess it'll just wear on my nerves.

But what's even worse is that he seems nervous specifically around me, when I'm talking to him. Like he's afraid-of me.

That's ridiculous though. There has to be another explanation for it…

He's sleeping now. Almost everyone in our car is sleeping now. Keith and Margarete have found two more passengers to play a good round of rummy with them. I think I'll just close my eyes and…

_White chess pieces. A king and a queen. There are other chess pieces too, but these are the most important._

A slow game of chess is beginning to end. There are fewer and fewer pieces remaining and the moves turn into an attempt to trap each other's king. It's hard to do this though. The other side doesn't have a king, only a black queen that hasn't been taken out yet.

The white queen stays by the king. This way, if there are any pieces that check the king, the queen can take them out.

The black queen moves into the square next to the white king. How foolish this move is. The queen doesn't even have to move, the king can take the queen out.

The king moves, and the white queen is knocked down. The king moves to occupy that spot, and the black queen moves to where the king was.

How can a move like this be allowed? What is the benefit?

The king slowly begins to change, and then it begins to make sense.

The white now drips off of it, showing the black underneath.

And then white turns into red.

**

It's raining outside. I remember my father telling me when I was a child, how the rain was God's grief over the sins of his children.

Now Yuri is asking me what is wrong. My only answer is silence. I don't know what's wrong.

But I feel like I've sinned.

**

[Yuri's POV]

The tears only lasted for a minute or so. Then she brushed them aside and got up to start talking with Margarete.

I'm lost. Let me be the first to say, I'm totally lost.

She woke up, looked outside…and started crying. She never answered my question of what was the matter. Then again, it's not like I answered her question truthfully.

Maybe it's just one of those mood things like women sometimes get into. It does look depressing outside. I hope it's just that.

I hate feeling like this, like there's some sort of wall between us. I want this to be over with as soon as possible. I'll get my fusion souls, see Regina's proof, tell her I don't give a damn, and be done with this whole thing.

Right?

Even with whatever sort of 'proof' she has, there's no way that Alice could have lied or used me in any way. There'll be some sort of hole in it.

…And what if Regina's proof is absolute?

I don't want to even think about that. It can't be a possibility.

**

"WOW! It IS an alien spaceship!"

"Yay!"

Unlike Yuri and Alice, who had hesitated when they thought it was a spaceship, Sharon and Joshua ran straight ahead, running up the steps to the door. They loved being able to run around after being cooped up in first a train and then a carriage for so long.

"How does it open?"

"Maybe there's a button!"

The door opened as they spoke, provoking more wild yells before they ran inside. Margarete looked a little nervous as she asked, "Are you guys sure he'll appreciate having all ten of us in his house? Especially with them."

"We probably won't be staying long," Yuri said. _Today, tonight, first train tomorrow._ "He might not know anyway."

Margarete pouted. "All my connections, gone to waste…" This statement was followed by a loud crash coming from inside the house.

"What are you children doing in here?!"

"AAAHH! It's a Martian!"

"Well…it seems Roger found Sharon and Joshua," Alice said, looking worried. Yuri couldn't resist a laugh at what Joshua had said. Halley and Chris ran into the house and the others followed them at a slower pace.

"Halley?" Roger Bacon glanced at the boy and then asked, "Would you mind telling me who these children are and why they're in here? I'm glad they enjoy my inventions so much but…"

Halley felt mortified as he followed Bacon's eyes and saw Sharon and Joshua stabbing every single button on the vending machine, hoping to get some sort of reaction. Since they didn't have any money though, it wouldn't work. "Would you two cut it out?!" he yelled at them.

Instantly Sharon stopped, and then after a few seconds poked Joshua, which made him stop as well.

Halley turned to Roger Bacon and said, "Sorry, they're kind of hyper after being let out of the carriage…that's Sharon, that's Joshua, and this is Chris."

"And I'm going to explain why we're all here," Yuri added from above.

Roger Bacon grew very intrigued as he saw Koudelka, Keith, Alice, Zhuzhen, Margarete, and Yuri all standing on the staircase down. "Some sort of reunion planned?" he asked.

Yuri nodded. "Except it kind of turned sour."

**

Bacon's first reaction was to be amused. "I can't believe the six who defeated God," he said sardonically, "were in turn defeated by a single teenager."

"It's not funny," Halley ground out, feeling very sore about losing to Lilia still. "And we weren't ready for a battle. She was."

Roger shook his head and then turned to Yuri. "So, basically this girl has stolen your fusion souls, and you want to get them back? Do you have any idea where she is?"

_Well, tomorrow she'll probably be in the ruins, but as for today…_ "No clue."

"How do you expect me to know about Harmonixing? Nobody knows much about it, that's the thing about it. Very frustrating. For all my research, you yourself probably know much more, since you actually use it." He shrugged. "As I see it, there are two options which are just common sense: you can find her and force her to give them back, say through another summoner, or you can find her and pursuade her to return them. Either way, you have to know where she is."

"But we don't know where she is," Halley said.

Yuri nodded. "Okay, that's fine." The others looked at him strangely, wondering why he was just shrugging off the loss of his fusion souls like this. "Um…Roger? Do you think we could spend the night here?"

"Hmm?" Bacon looked around and said, "I don't know if there's enough room…but go ahead. I'm not planning on sleeping tonight."

"Why not?" Alice asked out of curiosity.

"There's just a few things I want to check on," he said vaguely. "Go ahead and set your things down."

**

After Sharon, Joshua, and Chris had had enough of looking around the house, everyone started getting ready to go to bed. Instead of separating into men, women, and children, like they'd done before (of course someone had to point out that Yuri had been with the children both times), it was just guys and girls.

All the girls were asleep except for Margarete when she decided she wanted to talk to someone. She went over to the guys' side and found Keith still awake.

"Hey," she whispered.

He looked up at her. "Why are you over here? This is the mens' side."

She rolled her eyes. "I know that. You are such a prude sometimes. It's not like any of you sleep in the nude."

Keith had to accept that and said, "So what did you want to talk about?"

"…Did Yuri say anything to you?" Margarete asked.

"I assume you're talking about how he's going to get his fusion souls back."

"Duh. He wasn't worried at all that Roger Bacon doesn't know a way to get them back. He seemed to expect that Bacon wouldn't know a way. But if he thought that, why come here in the first place?" Margarete made sure to keep her voice low so no one would wake up and added, "Kind of weird, right?"

Keith shook his head. "Maybe, but he hasn't said anything. He was one of the first to go to sleep." He looked over in one direction and Margarete followed his gaze to where Yuri slept peacefully. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise and Keith asked, "What is it?"

"Nothing. Forget about it Keith, it's probably nothing at all," she said, a little louder than before. "I'm going to sleep now."

"Alright…" Keith looked confused, but decided she was probably right. It probably was nothing at all.

Margarete walked back to her place on the floor, feeling very perplexed. Something was clearly going on. After all, she had been trained to recognize when someone was faking it…

And Yuri was not really asleep.

**

There had been a small change of plans.

Since everyone had been coming with, Yuri had gone to the Graveyard one final time, waiting until Regina came. He had told her it would have to be tonight instead of during the day, since nighttime would be the easiest time to sneak away for maybe an hour or two without anybody realizing it. Then, in the morning, he'd be able to tell them everything.

He did realize they would probably be pissed off as hell at him (especially Alice) but he didn't really have a choice, right? She had said to come alone, and it didn't seem like a good idea to refuse. If one of her servants could kick their butts, and she was there along with who-knows-how-many other people, then they'd probably get massacred.

Yuri waited as Keith and Margarete talked about his odd behavior--_I'm really bad at acting, aren't I?_--and thankfully Margarete dropped the subject and walked away.

Twenty minutes later, he was still struggling to both act like he was asleep and not actually fall asleep, which was hard seeing as he was boring himself to death. He risked opening his eyes slowly. All males were asleep, good. What about females? He propped himself up on his elbow and looked to his left. They were all asleep; he looked especially hard at Margarete and Alice. Okay, good. They were asleep. Armor, weapons, and accessories were put on, and he gathered the few items he had gotten, putting them in his pockets.

He stood up slowly and made his way up the stairs. He had managed to get himself the spot nearest to it, so he didn't have to step over anyone and risk waking them up. Roger was in the basement of the house, looking over some texts or something like that, so that was fine. He probably wouldn't be coming up for a while.

The door opened with a whoosh and checking to make sure no one was woken up, he walked outside.

Margarete now sat up and thought. She of course had been awake the whole time, and knew how to fake it much better than he did. It was his idea to come here in the first place, so she was sure wherever he wanted to go, it was close by. He'd put on his armor and claws, so he thought there might be fighting. Where on earth was he going?

Oh, dear God. "Alice," she hissed, shaking the woman sleeping next to her, "Alice, wake up!"

"Unh…"

She tried shaking her for a few more minutes, then impatiently used what little skill she had to summon a bit of water, dropping it onto Alice's face. Not the politest way to wake her up, but if Margarete was right, this was an emergency.

"Wh-what is it?" Alice asked, a little annoyed. "Why'd you wake me up?"

"Alice, your boyfriend has officially gone insane," Margarete whispered. "I think he just went off to the ruins!"

This got a confused look from Alice. Margarete desperately wanted to shake her and actually started doing so, very roughly.

"The ruins! The monastery ruins!"

Alice suddenly realized what she was talking about, and her eyes widened as she noticed that Yuri's place was indeed empty.

"No…no way…"

**

Bacon frowned as he heard Alice's shouting from above. What on earth was she getting so excited about?

**

Since that was the agreed meeting place, Yuri was indeed heading for the Monastery Ruins. He ran the whole way, just so he could get this over with, although he did stumble over stray rocks a few times.

When he got there, the huge rock that covered the staircase down had already been moved back. Open invitation. He walked down into the dark chamber and was met by a man standing in front of the Judgement Ring door.

"Who are you?"

In the dark, all that Yuri could tell was that his hair was dark but his skin pale. "I am one of Regina's servants. I assume you are Hyuga?"

"Yeah…what's with all you guys being so pale?" Yuri asked, unable to resist.

"A natural effect of not being in the sun for so long. As Regina is trapped, many of her older servants are trapped as well, and it tends to be that the newer servants also spend much of their time in the tower."

_Tower? _Earlier Yuri had thought she was trapped in here. "If she's trapped in a tower, how can she come here?"

"Go and meet her, and you will see. I will open the door now," he said, making it clear there was no time for such unimportant questions. He turned and murmured a few words, making the door open.

Yuri stepped past him and through the door, then suddenly turned back. With the torchlight inside now helping him, he could see that the man's skin was darker than he had first thought. Something about him had seemed to change. But before he could think more about it, the door closed again, and he was trapped in the ruins.

_Okay…well, if Regina did want me dead,_ he thought, looking at the door, _I've just gone ahead and made it pretty easy for her haven't I?_

**

Alice had at first panicked and yelled, demanding to know why on earth he would have done such an idiotic thing. Before Margarete could calm her down, almost everyone was awake and wondering what was going on.

"Alice, I'm not sure, it's just a guess--"

"You wouldn't have said it if you weren't pretty sure!"

"Where'd he go off to?" Halley asked sleepily.

"The monastery ruins. At least that's what I thought," Margarete told him.

"What?! He'd have to be insane to go there."

"Who said he isn't?" Zhuzhen said a bit sarcastically. "Well, let's go check then."

Alice nodded and the five of them plus Keith went in the direction of the ruins, hoping to stop him before he actually went in.

**

Yuri was already pretty far inside the ruins, but so far, he hadn't been attacked. He supposed that was a good sign, even though he still had some misgivings about the whole thing. As he got closer, he could hear Persephone's flute playing, and that was an even better sign. It meant that it wasn't just coincidence that all the monsters he had seen and even walked right past were all lethargic, which had been very odd to see.

Finally he got to the second Judgement Ring door and saw Persephone and a man standing in the resting spot, which glowed blue in response to their presence. Where was Regina?

"Hello, Yuri," Persephone said cordially as he got closer. You'd almost think they were on good terms with each other. "I see you did pay attention to Regina." Noticing that Yuri's eyes weren't on her, but her companion, she sighed and said, "This is Syth."

Syth had to be the most bizarre person Yuri had met, which said something. He was thin with a very small frame, but of an average height. His eyes were an light shade of gray Yuri had never seen before in eyes, but his hair had to be even stranger. It wasn't white, as he had first thought; it was completely clear. Yuri could see through the hair to the wall, although it was a distorted view. It was almost like each strand was a shard of glass-

"Are you done staring?" he asked in a bored monotone.

Yuri forced himself to look at Lilia. "My fusion souls?"

"Yes, I'll give them back now." She grabbed her flute, but then, nodding to his claws, warned, "If you try attacking us after I give them back, first I'll take them away from you, and then I'll give you a beating with your own fusion souls. And the monsters here might not be so happy either. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Yuri said sarcastically. He didn't like being ordered around by a teenager, much less **her**.

"Good." She closed her eyes and began playing.

**

Alice was happy, relieved, annoyed, and mad all at once. Strange how Yuri could have that effect on her. "Yuri Hyuga, what are you doing here?" Alice asked dryly.

"Um…" They'd found Yuri in front of the first Judgement Ring door, unable, because of his lack of magic, to get in. Instead he'd been caught in the middle of one of his 'kick the door and hope it opens' routines, having the usual amount of success. The Harmonixer now looked appropriately embarrassed and said, "I was trying to get in…"

"Why?"

"Because I thought, since there's monsters in here, maybe I could kill enough to get a fusion soul…" It was the best plausible lie he could think of.

Happy and relieved went out the window. "And that couldn't even wait until morning?" Alice demanded, exasperated. "You know it doesn't make a difference if there's people with you, and it'd be much safer!"

"Geez kid!" Margarete said. "Here I thought you were in trouble or something, and it's just business as usual, being stupid!"

Yuri scratched the back of his head and nervously laughed after being yelled at by both women. Everyone continued to glare at him, especially Alice, who was both mad he hadn't simply told them and embarrassed that she had woken everyone else up when he was clearly fine. Finally he threw his hands up in the air and said, "Alright, alright! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you all upset."

"Well, you did," Zhuzhen muttered.

Halley shook his head. "Let's just go back."

Really, that was very frustrating for Margarete. With how bizarre the kid had been acting before, she had thought it would be something much bigger than a spur of the moment decision to go to the ruins…

Wait a second…

They were completely out of the ruins and had started walking back to Roger Bacon's house with Yuri and Alice in front and the others following them. Margarete trailed them, and then caught up to Zhuzhen.

"Do you notice anything odd about the kid?" she asked.

He looked at her strangely, puzzled by the question. "Why would there be something odd?"

"Just check his aura," she said. She could tell something was up. Yuri had been acting weird earlier in the day, too early for this to have been just spur of the moment. And the fake sleeping…that showed that it had been planned, or else why would he have waited? He could have just gotten up and, if he had woken up someone else, great! One person to accompany him. The lie just didn't make sense, unless Yuri's brains were really scrambled.

Zhuzhen slowly shook his head. "No…it's different again. How did that happen?"

Margarete's eyes widened. She hadn't expected anything; she'd only asked him on a hunch.

"Everyone, stop!" she yelled. Everyone stopped.

"What's wrong?" Keith asked, looking at her. She ignored him as she marched up to Yuri and Alice.

"Yuri, would you like to tell us how the hell it is your aura's different again?"

Alice looked puzzled, but Yuri looked startled. "What are you talking about?"

"Zhuzhen says your aura's changed. Now, seeing as no one noticed earlier, I'm guessing it's as a result of whatever you did in the ruins."

Yuri laughed softly. "In the ruins? I couldn't even get in there, remember?"

Halley spoke up then. "No…your aura is different, and it wasn't like that earlier. What did you do?"

"Yuri…" Alice let go of his hand and asked, "Is there something you should tell us?"

"Well…I should probably tell you I'm not Yuri."

**

This felt pretty good, having all of his fusion souls back. He almost enjoyed their company. Yuri went through each fusion soul in his mind, feeling their presence. All of them were there.

Once through with the mental check, he turned his attention to the boy with gray eyes and glass-like hair. "So where's Regina?"

He looked down at Lilia. "Persephone. Out." The summoner stepped back outside of the circle as the boy closed his eyes and concentrated.

"Hello, Hyuga," Regina's voice said, as well as the man's.

"Holy--" Yuri couldn't find the words. A flickering image of Regina had appeared, superimposed over the boy, her eyes also closed. When she opened them, the boy did as well.

"Please, don't look so shocked," Regina said. "This is the only way I could meet you soon enough." Both a woman's and a man's voice said this at the same time, which Yuri found downright creepy.

"Yeah…so, anyway," he said, trying to hide how uncomfortable he was, "Where's your proof?"

"Do you have the Flare Brooch?"

"Here," Yuri said, handing it over. Luckily, Regina's hand was level with Syth's, or Yuri would have been confused about which hand to put it in.

"Lie down, and take off your coat and shirt."  
"WHAT?!"

Both rolled their eyes. "Please, like I'd try anything while I'm being channeled. That would be awkward."

"R-right…" _Awkward as hell is right. I mean, right now she's being channeled into a guy, so that would be like--oh jeez, not Meiyuan…_ Yuri absentmindedly took off his coat and shirt, his thoughts on more disturbing things.

"Lie down in the center, and I'll begin…"

_How is this going to prove anything?_ Yuri shrugged. Oh well. As long as this got her to leave him alone afterwards, there was no point in complaining. He lay down in the center, watching Regina and Syth. They held out the Flare Brooch over Yuri and murmured, "By the power which is in my blood, I consecrate this magic circle for my purposes."

The circle glowed red around Yuri, instead of the blue as before. _What on earth is she doing?_

"That which I created, come unbound of what has been cast about."

The Flare Brooch started to glow a bright red, looking like it would burn Regina, but she continued to hold it out. A white light appeared then, like a string wound along the brooch…How weird…

Yuri realized suddenly that another light was also coming from him. He lifted his arm and saw the same thing, white lines along his skin in the shape of thin, skinny symbols. Light, coming from him? But he was…

He could see it underneath. A black, pulsing energy that seemed to suck in the light. Yuri shook his head confused. Everything seemed surreal, like it was all a dream… he observed without any surprise that he was no longer on the ground, but floating, caught between the energies of fire and darkness and some strange light…which was…

_Alice?_

Then, everything became pain.

**

"You figured it out pretty quick," Yuri said. Suddenly, his face grew pale and his eyes turned black, then blue. In the moonlight, his hair darkened to a raven black and his face altered until no hint of Japanese or Russian blood could be found in it. "Oh well, I did my share. Regina's had a good head start."

"What are you talking about?" Margarete demanded. "Where's Yuri?"

"Take a good guess." The man then looked at Keith and said, "By the way, you're of the Earth clan, aren't you? Be prepared to serve your new master."

"What are you talking about?" Keith asked, but it was too late. The man had disappeared.

"Damn it!" Margarete viciously kicked the dirt and yelled, "What the hell is going on?!"

Alice could feel her stomach sinking. If that man had been meant as a decoy, Yuri must then be… "Yuri must already be inside the ruins then," Alice said. "Come on!"

The five of them ran back to the ruins, worried beyond belief. Luckily, Alice was able to force open the first Judgement Ring door, since she'd seen Roger do the same, and she and the others went inside.

"Slow down," Zhuzhen said, knowing the need to be cautious. "We might get attacked."

"I don't think that's going to be a problem," Halley said, pointing. The others followed the direction to an Inverse that was sleeping upside down, along with a few relaxed Guinea Pigs.

"They're all sleeping," Margarete said in amazement. She scanned the room and found more monsters that were also doing the same, which was strange. The scent of a human was usually enough to wake up any monster. Here were five, and they didn't even stir.

"Come on," Alice said, leading them down one of the two paths. She didn't care about the monsters, Yuri could be in big trouble. She could sense Yuri down there, his fusion souls--and an awful lot of magic. Fire class, and light. Could he be in a fight?

They ran down the path, taking advantage of the monsters' lethargy to run as fast as they could possibly. Finally, they reached the resting place and the circle that marked it.

It was an odd sight. Yuri's shirt and coat lay discarded, off to the side. Lilia, who only Halley recognized, also stood by. But he didn't notice her, too intent on what was going on within the circle.

Yuri floated in the center of the circle, with the Flare Brooch floating higher above him, over his chest. Behind him stood--was it a white-haired man, or a red-headed woman? It was impossible to tell; the figure seemed to be both at once from this distance.

The circle itself glowed with a red light. All of the symbols on the Flare Brooch likewise were red. But Yuri was the oddest case of all. His whole body seemed to glow black, but there were also white symbols along his skin that were fading. It just didn't make any sense.

In Alice's mind, there seemed to be a sudden **click**. She knew who this woman was. The woman Yuri had met at least twice in his dreams. She was…evil…full of hatred and vengeance…vengeance against…her.

She had to stop whatever that woman was doing. She ran forward, full of determination, but was stopped at the circumference of the circle by flame, an entire wall leaping up at her. The heat forced her back.

"What are you doing with Yuri?" she screamed, trying to get the woman to pay attention to her, and not whatever chant that was. The symbols on Yuri, the light wrapped around the Flare Brooch--both were fading. Both were a bad sign. The fire and darkness were becoming stronger. It wasn't good.

__

What isn't good? she asked silently.

And then it was over. The fire overpowered the light, and the symbols along Yuri faded so that he was pure darkness.

__

That's not good…

Then, to her and everyone's utmost horror, the Flare Brooch suddenly rocketed down at Yuri, throwing him down to the ground like a rag doll. Alice's breath stopped. The Flare Brooch glowed inside of the hole it had made in his chest, along with his still beating heart.

"Yuri! Yuri!" Tears were streaking down her cheeks as she screamed his name.

__

She's killed him…He's going to die…Please God, no… Alice barely noticed as Regina, Syth and Persephone disappeared and the circle turned blue again, allowing her to kneel over Yuri. His eyes looked glassy, blank. _No, he can't be…_ She lowered her head so her ear was over his mouth. He was breathing still._ Thank you God…_

She had to heal him. First step, getting rid of what had injured him. Alice looked at the Flare Brooch in his chest, and the blood, and she did the hardest thing she'd ever done. She tried to pull it out.

Instantly, she snatched her hand back, like it'd been burned. In reality it had, and the others were now telling her to stop so they could look at it, but she wasn't hearing them. She was seeing the Flare Brooch, at first dull, start glowing with light, red light that beat rhythmically, changing slowly until it matched the beat with the throb of Yuri's heart. Then, the tissue, the bone, the skin--it began healing, the Flare Brooch disappearing underneath it.

To the others, this was a good thing, but Alice went insane at it, trying to grab the Flare Brooch still as it disappeared, burning both of her hands. Even after it was totally gone, she continued clawing at his chest, forcing Halley and Keith to drag her away from Yuri. "You can't do this to him! Leave him alone! Leave him alone!" she shrieked, and then finally, blissfully for her, everything turned into a soothing black.


	10. Infinity or screwy dream?

****

Disclaimer: Uh…don't own Shadow Hearts. Don't own all the Yuris that are going to pop up later.

**

Alice stirred as Halley placed her down on the floor where she had slept earlier. She looked at him with watery blue eyes, looking like she was going to start crying again. "Where's Yuri?"

"Keith's got him, but he needs to rest," Halley said. To his dismay, Alice still got up, or at least tried to. When she put her hands against the floor, she cried out in pain and would have fallen if Halley didn't grab her shoulders. "Wait a minute! You burned your hands, remember?"

She had a confused expression as she examined her hands. She didn't remember burning them, and the skin wasn't burnt, just raw.

"Well we weren't going to leave them all toasted," Halley explained, seeing her puzzled expression. He let go of her shoulders but she remained kneeling. "I healed them, but they're probably still sore. It was kind of a rush job. Here, hold your hands out."

Alice held out her hands, palm up, and he put his hands just over them. A soft light gradually lessened the pain until it was just a small tingle in the nerves.

"How's Yuri?" Alice asked. Halley sighed, knowing she had to be worried to death about him.

"We can't tell--You're going to have to see him yourself," he said, helping her stand up. "C'mon, Keith took him downstairs."

Going past the vending machine, Halley and Alice walked down another set of stairs into the basement/library of the house. There, Margarete, Keith, and Zhuzhen were trying to explain what had happened to Koudelka, Roger Bacon, and the other London Rats. Sharon and Koudelka were both examining Yuri, who'd been placed on a hurriedly cleared table; Koudelka was looking at his chest while Sharon waved her hand over Yuri's face, puzzlement plainly written on her face.

Alice ran over to him and then saw what was wrong. In the center of his chest, just a little away from where his heart would be, a spot pulsed with red light to a heartbeat. It wasn't much, but it was enough to tell where the Flare Brooch was. Still inside of him.

"Are you sure he's not dead?" Sharon asked Margarete, looking worried. She waved her hand over his face again, becoming more distressed when she still got no reaction. Yuri's eyes were still half-opened, but they were dull and…lifeless. Alice almost cried again as she realized that he looked like a corpse right now. He would be a corpse, if not for his shallow breathing and, when she felt his wrist, weak heartbeat.

"He's breathing, isn't he?" Margarete pointed out, although she also looked pale. "Damn…the kid sure managed to screw himself up this time-"

"It was her fault!" Alice yelled, shocking herself and everyone else. But she couldn't help it. Something was wrong with Yuri, and no one knew what it was. He was conscious, but his eyes…it was like his mind was somewhere, far away…

"I didn't mean it like that, Alice. I'm sorry," Margarete said, trying to placate the younger woman. She was standing over Yuri, her head bowed, almost like she was mourning. "He'll be alright. I mean, that kid's harder to kill than a cockroach. Remember? He even survived losing to the Seraphic Radiance the first time around."

"Yeah…" Alice said softly. She remembered how worried she'd been when he'd disappeared, even though they had known each other for a few weeks, and when they'd found him in Blue Castle, acting like some kind of monster.

She realized that his eyes then looked kind of the same now…lost and blank.

Everyone was puzzled when her face suddenly lit up. She walked around the table to where Zhuzhen stood, then pushed herself up onto the table and laid down next to Yuri.

"…What are you doing?" Chris asked, confused.

"I'm going to see if he's in the Graveyard," Alice answered.

"Sure you can get there?" Zhuzhen asked.

Alice nodded. "I've already been dragged into the Graveyard once, and I've managed to get there once myself. Wake me up if anything odd happens."

"Define 'odd'," Halley said sardonically.

Alice only shook her head with a little laugh and closed her eyes. After five minutes, she fell asleep, destined for the Graveyard.

**

[Alice's POV]

The Graveyard hadn't changed at all…or at least, that was what I thought as I took my first few steps in. There were the same graves after all, and in the distance I could make out the temple and the other gate, the Gate of Self.

But as I walked forward, I noticed a red glare and turned sharply towards it. I grew worried as I noticed that I didn't have my book with me, but it was only the Fire grave, glowing brightly, almost triumphantly.

I looked at it for a minute, then turned away and continued towards the Gate of Self. All I wanted was to find Yuri and make sure he was fine, not doing something like digging his own grave again.

I shook my head. He wouldn't do something like that for any reason; he had already accepted his weaknesses and chosen to live with them.

But…then why was he like this again? Those blank eyes with no soul…

The Gate of Self opened slowly and I was about to step in when a voice stopped me.

"Searching for the boy? You won't find him there."

**

[Yuri's POV]

I walked alone in absolute darkness.

Pain--magic--darkness. Regina had started some kind of spell, and it had been-so painful. Too painful to bear. Then suddenly, it had stopped, but I was now here. Wherever 'here' was.

_Wonder where I am…_

"Why wonder?"

I stopped and turned around, looking for who had said that. But what was the point? I wouldn't be able to see them. "Who's there?" I called.

Seconds, minutes, hours seemed to tick by as I waited for an answer, any noise so I could tell where the other person was.

But nothing came. _I'm starting to hear things_, I thought, looking down. But it had seemed real…

"Look up."

My head snapped back up, and I saw a person standing a little ways off, looking down at his feet, his back to me. Then a second person, the twin of the first. A third-a fourth-a fifth-

_There's a million of them… _They went as far as I could see, in a line.

"Not a million. Infinite." It was only one voice, but it came from all of them. As one, they lifted their heads and looked at me. He was met with countless faces, all his own. "Hey," I said.

"You're me," I said in surprise.

"You're me. That's right," I said, nodding. He looked puzzled and held a hand up to his forehead. "Confused?"  
"As hell," I muttered.

"Tough. It's our own fault we're like this."

"Like what?"

I cast my eyes around at the exact copies of me. "Like this."

I rolled my eyes. "Great. That's just helpful."  
"Once again, tough luck," I told him.

"Then how's it my-'our' fault?"

"Right now it's your fault. Then it'll be my fault. Then it'll be his fault," I explained, nodding to the next in line.

"My fault for what?"

"For not ending."

"Ending what?" I demanded. Suddenly I noticed that one of the duplicates farther off had disappeared, and then another one faded away. I felt a strange sensation in my being. How strange. "Is this just a dream?"

I rolled my eyes. "Is this a dream? No, dumbass, it's not. It's what we get for being never-ending." He still looked confused as I disappeared to return to my Graveyard.

**

[Alice's POV]

"So where is Yuri?" I asked the Sword mask.

"Heh heh heh! Inside, of course," he said, turning in midair, obviously pleased. He stopped, facing the temple.

"Will you go, little girl?" Gold mask asked. "Or are you afraid?"

To tell the truth, I was a little afraid, but I had to help Yuri. Besides, Atman was dead. As far as I knew, there was nothing else in there.

As far as I knew. And the masks were gloating. Both were not exactly encouraging.

But I squared my shoulders. The masks didn't seem to be lying. So…if Yuri was in there, I would find him. I stepped in front of the temple doors, seeing them automatically swing open. I took a deep breath and then stepped in.

**

****

Author's Note: For the shortest and most confusing chapter, chapter 11 takes the cake. I lost sight a few times of what I was trying to write, and I'm sure I'll get at least one confused review. (Not like I'm 100% sure of what I've written ::bonks head against monitor::)

Yuri: There is one benefit to this chapter.

What?

Yuri: (points at Aegis) Chibi-Yuri's, attack!

*Chib-Yuri's swarm around Aegis and completely cover her*

AAAAHHH!

Yuri: Bwahaha! Suffer! Suffer in pain!

They're so KAWAI! (Pops up hugging ten chibi-Yuris)

Yuri: (sweatdrop) You're not supposed to like it, Aegis!

Alice: Oh, chibi-Yuris! How cute! They're so adorable! (Picks one up and hugs him)

Yuri: Do I get a hug?

Alice: (Picks up another one and hugs him) They're so small!

Yuri: Alice?

Regina: How many are there?

(Shrug) I don't know. I guess they're infinite.

Regina: AND ALL FOR ME! (Dives into the pile of chibi-Yuris)

Yuri: I feel so unloved…

**

****

Reviewers:

Nights Mistress: Yep, Yuri's going to need Alice to help save his butt. And I tried very hard to make Regina psychotic and nasty.

****

Gutterfiend: About the view-switching, originally this was supposed to be first-person, Yuri's POV all through the story. Then I realized that would cause a few problems, so it changed, but I still wanted to keep some of Yuri's POV (just 'cause first-person is my favorite POV). And Alice's POV got added in mostly for comparison, contrast, and more dreams (I **have** to stop giving hints in dreams).

Yuri is okay. Right now. No guarantees about later chapters. Physical pain, breakdowns, insanity…anything's open season when it comes to Yuri.

Yuri: Do I get some sort of special compensation for being **your** muse?

…You get sympathy…  
**Greyfriars:** Well, man-eating dinosaurs are very common in fiction. But having all of them named Bessie? I think that beats some of the things in Shadow Hearts.

Was the chapter really that weird?

Yuri: (glares) Aegis? Since when are brooches being embedded in chests normal?

**

Brief question: does anyone remember what the interior of the 'temple' (where you fight Atman) look like exactly? I'm trying to remember, but I'm not sure…(sweatdrop)

On the plus side, my sis says we'll probably get the PS2 back soon.

On the minus side, my friend **still** hasn't even started playing Shadow Hearts. (twitches)


	11. Darkness and Light

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Shadow Hearts. Don't sue me, because I am absolutely bankrupt. Well, unless you want fifty-some pennies.

Yuri: She's not lying, people.

**

**A/N:** Really quick, the view is going to be changing a lot of times in this chapter. Yes, it's very confusing, but just remember to check under the asterisks. If you see []s, it's first-person (either Yuri or Alice, it'll tell you). If you don't see anything, it's third person and will tell you soon enough who's in the scene by saying their names. Except for one, which is easy enough to figure out.

**

[Yuri's POV]

            _Am I even going anywhere?_

That would really suck, if I had been walking for so long, to find out I hadn't been moving anywhere at all. But that's what it seemed like. Nothing was changing, there was still no light.

            Although…I'd been able to see those other "me"s before. And I could see myself, when I looked down. So maybe there was some kind of light, but I couldn't tell where it came from. The fact that there was still only black around me seemed to indicate there was nothing **to** be seen. Even if the sun gave light here, I would still see nothing but black.

            Damn, now I was getting myself depressed with this.

            The other "me"s…when the others had talked, I felt that I was them. Like I was in millions of bodies. Or if the others…if "I" had been right, an infinite number.

            Migraine. Massive migraine coming on. Time to stop thinking about that. It didn't make any sense at all.

            Then I realized where I must be. The only place I could be in was the Graveyard. It was the only place where something that bizarre could've happened.

            Now the problem was, where in the Graveyard was I? There hadn't been any place like this before…at least, I didn't think so.

            I stopped walking. This was getting me nowhere. I simply sat down and waited. There had to be **something** here.

            Unless I was dead.

            _Now there's a depressing thought…I wonder if I did die?_

**_            You're not dead._**

            My hand flew up to my chest as I felt a tight pain there. "R-Regina?" I gasped, recognizing the voice. But there was no one around.

            **_The amount of energy was simply too much a strain on your mind. I didn't expect that._**

            "To err is human," I muttered. Somehow I knew that would irritate her.

            **_I suppose it is. That won't be a problem for you much longer,_** she said.

            What did she mean by that?

            **_You'll see._**

            _And how the hell can you read my mind? _I thought.

            **_Pan is a Dreamer. He can read people's minds when they're dreaming._**

****"How reassuring," I said aloud. It was too confusing to think and have her answer my thoughts. "I'm just dreaming. Okay then, I want to wake up." When a person realized they were dreaming, usually they could wake themselves up just by thinking they wanted to. But it didn't seem to be working.

            **_You're in the Graveyard. While similar enough to a dream, it's not. You'll have to leave the usual way._**

            There were actually two ways. First, someone else could wake me up, usually by yelling or hitting. Not pleasant, but better than being stuck here. Since I was still in the ruins though, probably no one was planning on waking me up. "So where's the door?"

            **_First, see my proof._**

            I sighed. The proof thing again. "Where is it?" The second the words were out of my mouth, I saw a large gate appear ten feet in front of me. Past the gate, it was night, and I could make out a grave. "The grave?"

            **_You'll see._**

            Great. No straight answer. Oh well. Just walk in, see what was on the grave, and get out. How did she think this was proof anyway? No matter who was buried there, it couldn't change my mind.

            I stepped up to the gates and walked past after they opened. This was it. The end of quite a crazy week.

            **_This is just the beginning._**

            As I walked closer, I realized that the grave was unmarked, just a slab of stone placed to mark where a body laid. There was no inscription to tell who lay here, but I still felt a stab of sorrow. What had happened here…it was all **her** fault…

_            Her?_

Yes, her. I turned around and looked out over the land, unmarked by any boundaries. This was the agreed spot and time. This is where she would come.

            _Where'd the gates go? What's happening…I feel…different…_

Oh yes, she would pay, for everything she'd done. Just like she had planned to do to me, I would do to her. She would see the truth now. **Nobody** could try and manipulate me, or there'd be hell to pay.

            As for her…should I surprise her? Make her think I was still clueless to the entire charade?

            _Why do I feel so much hatred? What's happening to me?!_

Yes. She would think she had won, only to find out the bitter truth. No one could defeat me. I was the Overlord. In anticipation, I began the fuse, making it subtle. Just enough that I'd be able to use Czernoborg's magic, but not enough that she'd be able to tell I was fused--until I wanted her to know.

**

            Joshua stared at the arm, not sure what he was seeing at first. "Yuri can't fuse, right?" This was directed to Halley, who sat on the floor next to the table, looking a bit tired.

            "Right, he lost his--" Halley stopped his explanation as he actually looked up at Yuri and saw the arm. "Guys, look at this!" he yelled at the others, getting off of the ground to see Yuri better. After a half-hour of watching Yuri and Alice 'sleep', they had scattered around the library. But at Halley's call they came right away to see what was the matter.

            "He's fused?" Margarete said, looking confused. His upper arm looked normal, but at the elbow made a smooth transition from human to monster. She'd never seen Yuri do **that** before.

            "One of the Dark class," Zhuzhen said, seeing the dark, leathery skin. "He's got all of them back," he said, recognizing the difference in aura. But when had it happened? They hadn't checked in a while.

            "Well, if he can fuse, he must be alright," Margarete said, looking relieved. She stood next to the table. "They'll probably be waking up soon then."

            Joshua was crowded around the table by the adults and felt annoyed. After looking at Yuri's arm one more time, he went upstairs. Sharon had already gone to sleep, and he was feeling pretty tired himself. Besides, they'd said Alice and Yuri were going to be fine. They had to be right.

**

            "Regina, she's in there," Pan said, opening his green eyes a crack. His tone made it clear who 'she' was.

            "I see. Then the masks took me up on my offer," Regina said, looking pleased. "This will be even better now."

            "How so?"

            "First, she'll be able to assure Hyuga this is not just a dream. Also…I'm almost certain she's Sarah. So she'll be taking her place."

            "Almost certain?"

            "Persephone was right. Her power and appearance…she really is just like her. No, no doubt at all."

            "What if she remembers?" Pan said curiously.

            Regina's brief reply: "She'll be dead first."

            The Dreamer raised an eyebrow. "I don't think Pers would like that job…you're sending Syth?"  
            "I might not need to send anyone."

            Pan was silent as he shifted through Yuri's mind, checking if the girl had stumbled in on the dream. But she hadn't and finally he said, "He's different. Things have changed."

            "No. Perhaps on the outside, but he is still the same. I still recognized his soul the moment he returned. His soul…his soul awakened me. And in return, I will awaken him. Now concentrate. The timing must be right. I will see if I can lead her to her…lover," Regina finished, with a sarcastic edge to the last word.

**

[Alice's POV]

            I was so far from the door, and I still hadn't seen Yuri. The temple was actually much bigger than I thought, and who knew how big it actually was?

            Turning back, I saw that the door had shrunk to roughly the size of a coin. A small coin. There was no other light to go by but the dim, bluish light it let in. What was the point of going further if I wouldn't be able to see Yuri?

            But…despite the dim light, I could still see myself perfectly. The Graveyard was a spiritual place, so maybe it didn't matter whether there was light or not.

            "Yuri?" I called. "Yuri?" No response came and I looked around anxiously. What if the masks had been lying and he wasn't in here, or they'd been telling the truth and he couldn't answer? "Yuri?!"

            I flinched as a large fire appeared at eye level. At first I wasn't sure if it was fire, because it was blue. But it seemed like fire, dancing around lazily in a figure eight, like it wanted to make sure I noticed it. Then it flew off into the darkness.

            When I didn't move, it stopped and then came back, circling my head. "I'm supposed to…follow…this?" I said aloud.

            Somehow I got the feeling it wanted to help me find Yuri, and knew where he was. Even though I was still confused about what it was, I told myself that I'd just have to stay on my guard. This time when it flew off, in the same direction as before, I followed it. It moved so quickly that I had to run after it. As I ran closer I could make out the dark sky of a dawn that had not quite begun. Under the dark sky, there was a grave--and Yuri.

            At first I was a little afraid that he **was** burying his own grave, but there was nothing that he could have dug it with. The body beneath was already buried and covered with dirt anyway. The only question was--who?

            Yuri had changed. He was completely clothed now, in a loose black coat and pants that seemed designed for fighting. I shook my head at the alteration and stepped forward. His back was turned to me, but he seemed to be aware that I was here. Why didn't he turn around then?

            "Yuri?"

            He turned to show his profile, looking at me. He was smiling.

            Something seemed familiar to me about the whole situation. A meeting before dawn, when night turned into day and darkness became light. I'd been so worried that he wouldn't come though--that he would change his mind, that she would convince him not to come--

            But here he was, at the agreed time and place. I'd been right to place my faith in him.

            _This…happened before…_

            Then I noticed a brooch that he carried. It was a red stone that glowed like fire. I'd never seen it before. "Hyuga, what is that?" I asked.

            _Hyuga? And how does he have the Flare Brooch? It's inside of him!_

"Oh, this?" He looked down at the brooch, then looked at me. "It's a brooch Regina made for me."

            "So…she approves?" After all, it looked new, and if she'd made it for him she couldn't possibly be angry with him.

            His smile became wider. It was a like a smirk now. Something was wrong with him. I approached him. "Hyuga, what's wr-"

            "**Revelation**," he said in a harsh whisper, and I screamed in pain as the spell hit me.

**

            Everyone gave a start when Alice suddenly cried out. "What's wrong with her?" Margarete asked, bending over her.

            "She's weaker, but there's no injuries." Halley said. "Maybe magic."

            "I'll wake her up." Margarete was about to try the water trick again when Zhuzhen stopped her.

            "No, not yet. The kid must be fighting with her if he's fused. They'll be fine. And they probably have a good reason to be fighting."

            "Like what?"  
            "Remember malice?"

            Margarete rolled her eyes, muttering "there is no more malice" but she didn't try waking Alice up again.

            "Look," Keith said simply, watching Yuri. The fusion was quickly spreading up Yuri's arm onto his chest, transforming him into Czernoborg.

            "That's not all," Halley said, his eyes narrowed. He pointed to Alice's neck.

            Four drops of blood began to trail down from tiny wounds.

**

[Yuri's POV]

            _Alice? What's going on--what am I doing?!_

"Hy-Hyuga…"

            I loved it, that weakness in her voice, just what I'd wanted to hear. She was getting a taste of her own medicine now, and she obviously didn't like it. Isqueezed just a little harder on her neck, drawing more blood with my claws and eliciting another cry from her. The fusion was complete, since there was no more need to hide it anymore.

            "Hyuga…" her eyes were wide with fear and surprise. That probably would've been **my** reaction if she'd caught me in her little game. "Please…"

            Tears. Yes, now **that** was pleasing. She deserved this pain. It was all her fault.

            _My body…I can't control it…why…who's controlling me? If this isn't a dream…no, it's too real-then what the hell is this?! Regina?_

**

[Alice's POV]

            Even as I stumbled back after the attack, Hyuga was prepared and quickly grabbed me with his right arm. It was formed like a monster's, Czernoborg's, and he lifted me by the grip on my neck. The hidden fusion was already spreading across his body, turning him into a monster. I could barely breathe, but still, I tried to plead. "Hyuga…"

            _Yuri…no, this can't be Yuri, he'd never do this to me! The masks must have done something…or Fox Face…?_

            The grip only tightened and it became almost impossible to breathe. My eyes began to tear. Why was he doing this to me? We'd agreed…

            "Hyuga…please…" Tears started running down my cheeks. Everyone had been right, and I'd refused to listen to them. I'd brought this on myself…

            _It's not Yuri! It's not Yuri, so…_

But then, he was just like all the rest of them. Just like the rest of those traitors. So...

            _I won't regret attacking this thing…_

I won't regret attacking you…

            I gathered my strength and quickly raised my hand so it was in front of his face. "**Blessed**…**Light**."

**

[Yuri's POV]

            I cursed as the attack hit me, directly in the face. That little… In my pain, I let go of Sarah, letting her drop to the ground

            _Sarah? But she looks just like Alice…_

I scowled as she quickly scrambled away. Idiot. She was trying to get away from me? No, no, I wasn't going to allow that. She had wanted me to come close, come close so she could use me--and now she wanted to get away? A low growl escaped my throat in anger.

            Then again, this might be fun. How fast could she run, how much faster could I be? The fusion came undone and I stood for a moment in my human form, watching her.

            _Human form?_

Ah, Seravi. In an instant, I gained wings and sharp talons. Talons that would be drawing blood soon.

            _Can this really…be me? But I wouldn't…I'd never want to hurt Alice…_

_            Maybe it's not her…Let this be a nightmare, please…an illusion, anything…just don't let me hurt Alice!_

**

            Margarete blinked as they were now looking at one of Yuri's Air forms. He didn't use them as often, so she wasn't sure which was which, but she was willing to bet that it was Seravi. "Why's the kid fusing so much? That's not a good idea."

            Zhuzhen nodded, contemplating. Both Alice and Yuri had gotten hurt, but Alice by a Darkness attack and Yuri by a Light attack, which seemed rather odd. Luckily the claw marks on Alice's neck had disappeared, suggesting she'd healed herself. Watching the two while they in the Graveyard was bizarre. They could tell that they were being hurt, but couldn't tell what they were being hurt by.

            And it was odd for Yuri to go in and out of fusions like that. Usually he chose one element and stuck with it for a few days, until he got bored of it or found one that was better suited for the monsters in a particular area. Sometimes he'd choose more carefully, for monsters that looked tougher, but switching elements in less than two minutes…

            What was going on?

**

[Alice's POV]

            _How stupid of me! Those masks were lying to me…Yuri must be within the Gate of Self. I have to get out of here **now**… But where's the gate?!_

Everywhere I looked, it was just rolling land. There were not many places to hide. If I didn't get out of here soon, Hyuga would attack me again.

            The betrayal still hurt, even though I'd healed the physical wounds. He had said…he had **said**…

            _But Yuri would never betray me like this. It's just Fox Face. Or something like him, at least…_

"It doesn't matter what he said," I whispered softly to myself. "He's just another devil…no, he's even worse…"

            Without slowing, I looked over my shoulder. I couldn't see him. I slowed down, just the slightest bit incredulous. Hyuga had lightning reflexes, and my physical strength and speed were not my best points. How was it that he hadn't caught me yet? I should've been attacked by now.

            _She's right…or is it me? These thoughts and feelings…they seem just like me…_

_            Why hasn't that lookalike attacked yet?_

I stopped for a few seconds to catch my breath and again, survey my surroundings. I couldn't see him…but then I had the suspicious feeling that he was closer than I realized…

            And that was when he struck. Sharp claws ripped into my robes and back, the force behind the attack knocking me down to the ground. I lay in the early morning dew, my heart beating quickly. An aerial attack…one of his Air forms…

            I should have known he wouldn't let me escape. I'd have to fight him if I were to escape. But without weapons or armor…

            I stood up on shaky legs, knowing I was at an extreme disadvantage. A brief plea to God escaped my lips as I tried to gather my energy. "**Gospel**," I said in as firm a voice I could manage. I felt the power within me increase, aid to my defense. Inwardly I was relieved. I'd been unsure if God would still answer my prayers.

            _God forsakes no one…why should I worry?_

Looking up, Hyuga was circling in the increasingly lighter sky, both reassuring and worrisome. Reassuring part: I could see him. Worrying part?

            He could see me.

            It was amazing that as large as he was, Hyuga in one of his aerial forms could fly just as well as any bird of prey. He folded his wings, or arms, entering into a swift dive directed towards me.

            _Oh no you don't._

"**Blessed Light**!" I yelled as he unleashed another magical attack. Advent would be useless against him, as fast as he was moving, so I was stuck with the less powerful of my attacks. The bright flash blinded Hyuga, used to the dim light, but I didn't flinch, knowing what would happen when it hit him. His attack still came through though, a powerful gust of wind that flung me through the air and into a nearby tree.

            _I-she needs to heal herself now…_

The blow stunned me and I slid down to my knees, my vision dancing in dizzying blurs.

            _No! Get up! What…what will happen to me if we lose? Why can't I help?_

**

            "Her head's bleeding, and it's pretty bad," Halley reported, looking anxiously at the injury. He tried healing it, but the magic couldn't work while she was in the Graveyard. Another one of the complications of the Graveyard, and he was getting more and more frustrated with it. "Come on, let's wake **her** up at least, Zhuzhen."

            Zhuzhen nodded. "Doesn't seem like the kid's too bad off." Yuri had a light burn near his chest, but it seemed like he had gotten off easier.

            "I wonder what exactly they're fighting," Margarete said. Something that could use magic, she knew, but not much else.

            Keith thought about this, then said, "It must be different monsters. After all, Alice got attacked by a Dark class first and then an Air class it seems, and Yuri's been attacked by a Light class."

            "Oh, shit," Margarete whispered, looking pale.

            "What's wrong with you?" Zhuzhen asked.

            "I just put two and two together," she said. She started shaking Yuri, trying to wake him up. "Kiddo, come on! Keith, wake Alice up!" When the vampire didn't, she gave him an evil eye. "Keith, think about what you just said. Alice got attacked with Darkness while Yuri was Czernoborg, the Air while he was Seravi, and he's been getting bashed with Light!" Their faces lit up with understanding, but she voiced her conclusion anyways. "They're not fighting **with** each other, they're fighting against each other!"

**

Pan cursed as he felt something distract Yuri from the fight. Someone was trying to wake him up. Quickly he increased his hold on both the Harmonixer and the girl with him. There was a time, soon enough, when both could be waken up. Until then, Regina wanted them to both see the show.

**

[Alice's POV]

"Come on Sarah," I heard a taunting voice say. "I thought you were better than that." He stood by me, towering over me.

            "Hyu…Hyuga…" my tongue seemed thick in my mouth, the words confused as they came out. "We agreed…we agreed to make peace here…why are you continuing the fight now?"

            "Why do I have to answer to you?" he asked. "You're just like the rest of those hypocrites. You never meant anything you said. Never…she was right. You would have done the same, if I'd given you the opportunity." His voice was bitter. He bent down so that he was level with me and forced me to look at him. "Tell me Sarah, what do you think of me? Do you still think that I'm a bastard?" The grip on my face became harder; he obviously didn't want me to answer, but to listen.

            _What is he talking about?_

"Do you still think of me as nothing…but a beast?" Hyuga gave a hollow laugh that sent a chill through my soul. "No, no, don't say anything. I already know what you'd say, and I don't like your pretty lies anymore."

            Pretty lies? I hadn't lied to him…why was he saying that?

            Something was wrong. Something must have happened after our last meeting, something to turn him against me like this.

            He began a fusion again, back to Czernoborg. This was my last chance. I twisted out of his grasp, falling down to the ground, but it didn't matter. Darkness was weak against Light and I let loose my best spell.

            "**Final Judgment**!" I yelled, focusing all my power into the spell. It was a spell to destroy those who had evil in their hearts. It would mean Hyuga's total destruction, but…I shouldn't regret that. A huge wave of light went out from my hands, passing over Hyuga's body. In moments he would be nothing, but…

            _Nothing's happening…_

            It didn't affect him at all. He smirked at my astonished expression. It had done nothing, even though other demons had been completely decimated by it. Now that I had used the spell though, I was powerless, all my energy gone. My mind was still racing for some sort of explanation as Hyuga wrenched my arm with his claws.

            And then I hit upon it.

            _It didn't hurt him because he's not evil…_

_            "Alice! Wake up!"_

_            "Kiddo, you too!"_

_            "Come on!"_

            His arm lunged forward, aiming for my face--

**

"Now!"

**

            "Wake up!"

            Yuri's head snapped up at the command, just in time to catch Margarete's face. Both used a stream of colorful words, Yuri rubbing his forehead while Margarete massaged her chin. Beside him Alice also woke up with a jolt, her hand moving to her eye for some unknown reason. She put it down and turned, looking at him. "Yuri, was that you-"

            She was stopped as Yuri suddenly hugged her. She blushed as he was doing this in front of everyone, but realized it shouldn't be embarrassing--and blushed even more, embarrassed by the fact she was embarrassed.

            "You're alright," he murmured, obviously relieved. But when she winced as he held her, he noticed the blood showing on her back and head and his heart sank. Just like in the dream…or whatever it had been. "Zhuzhen, can you heal her?" Yuri said.

            "Sure," Zhuzhen said, moving closer to Alice. He slowly began healing her, careful to do it right.

            Alice also realized that Yuri had to have been the person she'd fought. Even though he hadn't acted at all like himself…_but I wasn't able to control myself either_, she reasoned, watching Halley heal Yuri. _It must have been the same for him._

            "As for you, kiddo," Margarete said, still rubbing her sore chin, "You've got some explaining to do."

            Yuri looked around wildly. Oh hell. He hadn't realized it before, but he was in Roger Bacon's house, surrounded by his companions, instead of in the ruins with Regina and Persephone. **That** had not been planned. What exactly had happened?

            "Um…I sleepwalk?" he suggested.

            Margarete glared at him. She was in an extremely bad mood and this was **not** the kind of answer she wanted. Yuri sighed and said, "I know, I know. I was planning on telling you tomorrow-"

            "We can hear it right now," Alice said, her tone making it more than a suggestion.

            _Okay…where to begin…?_

**

**Author's Note:** Okay, okay, I know I have some explaining to do.

First of all, with the temple:

Um…The idea I'm using for it is kind of based off of the hyperbolic time chamber (at least I think that's the name) in Dragonball Z. If you haven't watched it, um…how to explain…the hyperbolic time chamber has an entrance which looks kind of like a house, but beyond there, it's just blank white, and there doesn't seem to be a limit to the place. So really the temple is kind of like that where it has a (semi)-normal entrance, but beyond that it's pretty much…unlimited.

About the others being able to see Yuri's fusion and the injuries…that was taken off of the fact that the damage you take in the Graveyard follows you back to the real world. Yes, I know this is assuming a lot. But, unless the damage all of the sudden appears the moment you wake up, which would probably have caused a few scares in some cases…it just seemed to make sense to me that the damage would appear as you are getting injured. The fact that the others can see Yuri's **fusions**, is just taken off the idea that if injuries would show, a fusion would probably show as well.

About Halley's magic not working…think of it as that your body doesn't **really** have those injuries until you actually do wake up. Like if Yuri turned into Lobos and healed himself in the Graveyard, those injuries would disappear and his physical body would be healed as well. The injuries wouldn't be there when he woke up. And you can't heal what you don't have.

Yuri: You can tell she's a nitpicker, can't you?

::sweatdrop:: I'm trying to write a story here! Go away. And also, the fact that Margarete, Keith, Zhuzhen and Halley didn't catch for quite a while what was going on…no, I'm not trying to make them look stupid. Once again, even though they can see injuries and fusions, there's still a lot they're missing out on. Also, the possibility that Yuri and Alice were fighting each other would be about the **last** thing they would think of. Since they didn't expect it, they didn't realize it.

Uh, the whole fight?…I can't explain that right now. ::grin::

Yuri: I want a new writer.

**

**Reviewers:**

**Delka:** Thanks.  Most people agree it's bluish somehow, so I put it as the blue light from the Graveyard in here.  ::thinks::  At least I **think** I said that somewhere…

**The Matriarch Mavina:**  Nope, I don't mind at all.  Glad you like it so much.

**Gutterfiend:**  I seem to be doing a lot of odd things right now.  ::sweatdrop:: thanks for the information.  I didn't know there was a Judgment Ring.  Maybe I could add something about that later…

**Nights Mistress:**  …

Yuri:  Um, are you going to answer her review?

DARN IT!  You're not supposed to guess right!

Yuri:  It's not completely right…

Well, yeah, like the 'gods' thing…I think I said something about that in one of the early chapters.  Probably chapter one.  But actually, you are kind of close.  Except for a few things, like about-

Yuri:  AEGIS!  No spoilers!

Can't I?  But the thing you're 100% right about is-

Yuri:  Aegis…

But Yuri and Alice aren't-

Yuri:  That's it!  I'm answering reviews now!

**Greyfriars:**

Yuri:  Hmm…::looks over at Aegis::  What should I say…

Mmph!  ::looks very pissed off, as she is tied to the chair with her mouth covered in duct tape::

Yuri: Hey, this is for your own good.  You would have spoiled it otherwise.  The infinite me's thing was actually more of symbolism than anything else.  I mean, nobody can duplicate me!

Yuri: Aegis manages to update this so often because she set a goal for herself to update once a week, for fear that if she didn't this fanfic would go the same way as her Breath of Fire IV novelization.  It had a great start, then she had a major problem with formatting and the fanfic was neglected until she had to delete it because her sister was planning on selling that game.

Yuri: Of course, she would be updating this more often if she wasn't such a hopeless solitaire addict!

::Aegis closes her eyes and an imaginary setup of cards appears in her head::  (red 5 on the black 6, what's under the 5, ooh, ace!)

Yuri:  ::sweatdrop::  We're not even getting into that.

**Tiger5913:**

Yuri:  What?!  I am not going to be saved by Alice!  I refuse!

…::scrapes her chair over to Yuri and kicks him in the shins::

Yuri:  ::glare:: Now I'm going to tie your legs together too.


	12. Knowledge as a Weapon

****

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, I don't own Shadow Hearts or any of the characters. So sue me. Wait…

**

"It started the day before the reunion," Yuri started. Everyone--except for Joshua and Sharon, who were sleeping--was paying close attention. "Alice and I both had dreams about a woman. I'm pretty sure it was the same woman now."

"The woman we saw in the ruins," Alice said. She had known the moment she saw her.

Yuri sighed. "Yeah. Now, I don't believe her at all, but she's under the impression that you did something--bizarre to me. Crazy witch," he muttered under his breath. "So, she told me to meet with her in the ruins, so she could show me proof."

"If you did not believe her, why meet with her?" Keith asked.

"Well, um…the girl from the park, the summoner works for her. She blackmailed me pretty much."

"With your fusion souls?" Margarete said. Yuri nodded and she exploded. "So we got attacked, innocent people got attacked, because you were being an idiot?"

"How was I supposed to know she was going to do **that**?" he demanded. "I didn't know if she was real or just some bizarre dream!"

"So you were forced to come," Keith interrupted, stopping the argument before it could start. "Why didn't you tell us-oh. She told you to come alone?"

"Yeah. She also said to bring the Flare Brooch." Yuri stopped and looked around. "By the way, where is it? It's not still in the ruins is it?"

"You mean you don't know where it is?" Alice asked nervously.

Yuri had a questioning expression. "Why would I ask if I knew?"

"Look down," Zhuzhen advised.

Yuri looked down and instantly noticed the glow of red against his skin. Almost like the Flare Brooch--it was coming from inside of him? "It's in my chest?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Yuri continued to look down at his chest. It was a very calm reaction, and most were relieved until-- "You **are** joking, right?"

"No."

"I have a brooch in my chest."

"Yep."

"And I'm not dead?"

"You're fine," Halley confirmed.

He was given a glare that could have made plants wilt. "Fine? I'm **fine**? How the hell is having a stupid idiotic brooch in my **chest** fine? I'm going to kill Regina!"

"Wait. Regina? She's a Fire class, right?" Keith asked.

The Harmonixer nodded shortly, still very cross. _When I get my hands on her, I'm going to…_ "The same as on the brooch's crest. I'd show you, but I guess that's kind of impossible now."

Keith shook his head. That was impossible. He was sure it was impossible.

"Do you know something, Keith?" Alice asked, seeing his thoughtfulness.

He looked up at everyone. "Some of the members in my clan have spoken of a Regina. She was the last ruler of the Fire clan."

"Fire clan?" Halley asked.

"There are six clans, one for each element," Keith explained. "Although I do not know where the other clans are…but from what I have heard, she was trapped within the tower where the Fire clan lived by one of the Light clan quite some time ago."

"She told me the same thing," Yuri said. _Except she didn't say who did it._

Margarete thought it over. The man then--how confusing it had been in the ruins, but now it made sense. She had been being channeled through the man. "So these clans--they're all of the same element?"

Keith nodded. "All of the Earth clan are Earth class, all of the Light clan light class, yes."

"What would happen if one of them had a child with someone of a different class?" she pressed.

Keith looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure what would happen if the parents were of two different clans. I do know that if one of the Earth clan has a child with a mortal, the child will automatically be of the Earth class."

Alice was surprised by his answer. "You just said 'mortal'. What's that supposed to mean? Are you immortal?"

"In a sense. Those of the Earth clan no longer age upon reaching adulthood. We can die of other things, just not old age. I was under the impression it was the same for other clans, and if Regina is still alive, it must be. After all, she was imprisoned roughly two thousand years ago."

Yuri's eyes bugged out. Two thousand years. "She sure doesn't look like it," he said weakly.

Keith shrugged. "As I said. We age normally until adulthood, but we do not age past that. She would look like she's in her twenties."

Roger Bacon laughed at everyone else's bewildered expressions. "See? There are people even older than I am!"

"Yeah, but…" Halley shook his head. "That's just…wow." That accurately summed up their reactions of disbelief and amazement.

Koudelka was the first to get back to business. As amazing as Regina's age was, that had nothing to do with what they were discussing. "That's fine, but what does she want with Yuri?"

"She…I don't know. I don't remember her at all, but the way she talks sometimes…it's like…we were in love. She does seem really jealous of Alice, so that might be it. But I don't remember her at all." Yuri hesitated, and then said, "she does seem familiar in a way, but I don't know why." He shook his head and looked at Alice. "You said a while ago she seemed familiar when I described her. Did you see her in the ruins?"

"Yes." Alice nervously reached up to her cross, and said, "I think I have met her somewhere. She did seem familiar. And that hatred…that was also familiar," she finished more quietly.

"Wait, wait a second," Margarete said. "Okay, whoever had déjà vu when we saw her, raise your hand." She raised her own. Four hands came up to join her.

Yuri stared at his friends. "All of you got de-de-"

"Déjà vu," Alice said, putting her hand down.

"Yeah, whatever. But all of you got that feeling." Yuri thought about this and then said, "Well at least we know we couldn't have met her in China then."

"It has to have been recently, between when I joined you guys and when we split up," Halley said. It didn't make sense though. He couldn't remember a woman who had looked like that.

"Can't any of you remember?" Roger Bacon asked curiously, seeing how hard they were concentrating.

Margarete threw up her hands impatiently. "Nothing." Keith shook his head. Halley still looked blank.

"Of course," Koudelka said softly.

"What?"

"Nothing Chris," she said.

Zhuzhen shook his head slowly. "How strange. So she seems familiar to all of us, but none of us can remember her."

Yuri growled. "This is frustrating as hell. Maybe she's trying to make it seem like that on purpose."

"But how would she do that?" Alice asked.

Yuri shook his head. The thought had just come to him that maybe it was intentional. But Alice was right, how would she manage to make all of them think that?

_She does seem like the kind of person to play that kind of trick though…_

"Might I suggest something?" Roger Bacon said, gaining their attention. "There might be some mentions of her in here," he said, looking around the dusty books in the library. "You might want to look. Myself, I am going to go back to reading. Oh yes, just that section," he said, pointing to the last bookcase. "Don't bother. I haven't been able to translate those." He moved over to a mess of books that Margarete had shoved off the table so that Keith could have placed Yuri down on the table and picked one up. "Messy. You really don't know how to appreciate books…"

Margarete looked embarrassed. "Yeah, yeah," she muttered, walking over to the nearest bookcase. "So do these books have an index?" she asked, immediately flipping to the back of one particularly thick book.  
"No."

She nearly dropped the book on her foot, but managed to grab it. "Well alright then, Bacon, how are we supposed to find her in all these massive books?"

"It's called reading," came the sardonic answer; Roger was already immersed in a small black book. "There's six of you aren't there?"

"There's hundred of books," Alice observed, looking around, but she went to the bookshelves, looking for likely titles. Luckily for her and Keith, both of them could read the Latin that many of the books' titles were in. The others weren't so lucky, but usually a few paragraphs (translated into English by Roger) and they could tell what subject the book was on. It was still very frustrating since they didn't know much about Regina, and at twenty minutes both Margarete and Halley had given up, already having headaches from the tiny text size.

Yuri felt ready to quit too. After all, if those clans were so well known to be in books and all, wouldn't they have heard more about them before? But when he looked over at Alice, she was still earnestly scanning through each promising book, sometimes twice before putting it back on the shelf. _She's always so willing to help_, he thought to himself. _I'm the one in trouble here, and she's doing more than I am. I'll keep going until she gets tired of this,_ he decided, and went back to the books.

**

"How was that!" Kain said, hitting his knee with his hand. "They really thought I was Hyuga."

"Mortals see what they wish to see," Syth answered, not bothering to look at him as he continued eating his rather late dinner.

"Yeah, but there was one of the Earth clan…"

"What difference is there?" Syth said, now looking up at him. "They chose to live with mortals. In spirit, they have become the same."

"That's giving them too much credit," Kain said. The illusionist closed his blue eyes, leaning back in his seat. "Honestly, look at what they've done. Sleeping away their lives, like Pers says…"

"Um…"

Both men looked towards the doorway to see Persephone standing there. "Finally out of your room, eh?" Kain asked. "Took you long enough."

She turned red now, embarrassed at having it pointed out. The boy had been fine after all; she'd seen him in the ruins. It was a relief, but still…she wished she wasn't so weak. She knew what most of the others thought of mortals. She knew she shouldn't feel pity for them.

But it was so hard…especially considering what she was…

"Um…I was wondering if I could ask both of you a question," she said shyly, sounding like an eight-year-old, instead of the fourteen she was. "That is, if you don't mind…"

"Go ahead," Kain said.

"I don't think Regina would be comfortable if I asked," she explained. "That is…why was the first Hyuga banished?"

"You don't know?" Kain's eyebrows shot up. "Wow. Someone needs a history lesson on their own clan. This is new."

Persephone could not help but feel both embarrassed and irritated. Why did Kain always have to get on her case like this? He always pointed out what was wrong. How could she help that she knew next to nothing about the clan of Darkness? They had rejected her…

Seeing her dejected expression, Kain decided to lighten up on her. It wasn't her fault, after all. "Well, it did happen a long time ago. I suppose the main reason was because his uncle and his sons wanted to rule over the clan. Had Hyuga not been banished, he would have been the next choice to rule," he pointed out. "But of course, you can't kick someone out just 'cause you want to rule. So they pointed out his parentage."

"His parentage? But his mother was a summoner of the Darkness. No matter what clan his father was, the Darkness took in him. That's all that matters." Persephone had heard of this before. Succession wasn't nearly as confusing as the mortals made it out to be. "Or was his father a mortal?" That wasn't very common; usually it was that the father was the immortal and the mother the mortal, though sometimes it was the opposite.

In her case, her mother had been the mortal. A wonderful mother, but all the same…mortal. His father hadn't even known she'd been born until four years ago and hadn't cared then, instead giving her to Pan as a servant. Her nails bit into her hands as she tried to not show the pain she felt. Luckily, the men didn't notice.

"The problem was that his mother had been insane," Kain said. "His uncle used it as reasoning that the boy might turn out insane as well. And…there was a lot of prejudice against Hyuga, not just in your clan, but in others as well."

"But why?" Persephone asked.

"At his birth…"

**

Keith was now out with a genuine migraine, and Yuri felt like joining him. Whoever these authors were, they did not like being concise. He had to read pages just to figure out what the book was on, and then he had to scan through it, and it was hard reading Roger's translations, written between lines of characters. He felt like ramming his head against the bookcases as Raging Bull, but he didn't think that would help his headache.

_How the hell can they read so freakin' much?_ Yuri wondered, glancing to see Alice and Zhuzhen still absorbed in their books. Forget this. Alice might be planning to keep reading, but he'd suggest to her that there wasn't much chance of finding Regina in here. She'd probably stop then. _It is getting pretty late…she's probably pretty tired…_

What would they do tomorrow? _I just hope Regina holds off a day on the Graveyard visits. My brain needs a break._ Alice needed to return home. After all, she had told her mother it'd only be a short trip. But where could they go tomorrow?

Keith did seem to know more about Regina than anyone else did. Maybe his clan would have something to go on.

_Better than reading all these books._

"Something in there?" Alice asked, startling him out of his reverie. "Or are you getting bored?" she said with a little smile, noticing how his head had jerked.

"Yeah, a little," he admitted sheepishly, closing the book. "Have you found anything?"

She shook her head. "Nothing good. I wonder why." Alice laughed a little and said, "You know, from before she was imprisoned. You'd think she must have caused quite a stir to be imprisoned like that."

"Yeah. I was thinking maybe we-I should go with Keith and ask if anyone in his clan knows more about her."

Alice had noticed his sudden correction and tilted her head questioningly. "I think everyone's willing to help you out, Yuri. And Zhuzhen's pretty interested, it seems," she said, looking at the Adept.

"I think you should go back home, Alice."

Her head snapped back to him, her blue eyes wide with questions. "But why? Why should I go back home? It seems like you might be in big trouble."

"You promised your mother you'd be back soon," Yuri pointed out.

Alice shook her head. "So I'll write her a letter. If you're in trouble Yuri, I want to help." Her tone was stubborn. Yuri could tell he better explain himself now.

"It's not just you Alice. It's just…she only seems interested in me. And you've seen some of the stuff she's done. I figure, the less people, the better. No one else has to get involved in this."

Alice didn't like this logic. There was safety in numbers. "I'm coming. And it's not like you can stop the others from coming with you. Besides…all of us recognize her from somewhere. So all of us are already involved."

Yuri sighed, realizing that her tone meant the subject was over. "Alright. Just…uh…you need to start training then, you haven't been fighting in a while."

Alice smiled, interpreting that to mean 'I don't want you to get hurt'. "I'll be fine. I have my Light magic," she said, starting to walk upstairs. "I'll tell Keith about your idea."

_Boy, she's persuasive_, Yuri thought, watching her walk upstairs. _It's impossible to say 'no' to her._ Well…Alice was right. She could take care of herself, and the others. As long as she'd been practicing her magic…although Yuri thought she might need some brushing up.

He shook his head and started to put the book away, when one further down on the right caught his eye. It was a small book with a white cover, and curiously he picked it up. The cover was blank, which he supposed what made it stick out in the first place. Too many of the damn books were covered with words of too many different languages. They were pretty confusing.

Yuri opened the book up and his brow furrowed as he looked at the writings. The book was written in a fine hand--it looked a bit like cursive, except none of the characters were from English, or any other language he knew.

Where was the translation? Yuri tried looking for it, but couldn't find it. Then he looked up and realized he'd chosen a book from the set that hadn't been translated. Nice.

He looked back down. He'd never seen anything like this and he couldn't read it at all…might as well put it back. He snapped it closed and was about to put it back when he noticed a small yellow corner sticking out of the pages. Yuri pulled it out and found an old, torn piece of paper. One of Roger's bookmarks, or notes? Oops. Yuri was about to stick it back into the book when he realized the note wasn't in English, but in Japanese.

_Why would Bacon have this?_ he wondered. Curiously, he held it out and began reading.

~

-follies of youth.

All is over for me. There is no one left alive that I

care for. This war has killed many of all the clans. It is a

shame that it was begun by one descended from my clan.

But the greatest shame is that I have failed all I

swore to protect. Sarah is dead. She is the last martyr.

I will follow her last request and send myself to the

grave after her. There is nothing more for me to do.

~

_A suicide note?_ Yuri shook his head. Whoever had written this had killed themselves because they couldn't protect Sarah…_that's what he called Alice in the dream…Sarah…and the note mentions a clans…a war that hurt every clan…_

"Hey, Roger," he called, walking over to the alchemist. "Where'd you find this note?"

The alchemist looked curiously at him, then at the note. He scanned its contents and shook his head. "I didn't realize I had a note like this."

"Then where'd you find this book?" Yuri asked, showing him the white book he'd found. This time he noticed that the cover was exactly blank--there were small, very faint stains. If he wasn't mistaken, they were bloodstains.

Roger looked through the book and nodded. "Hmm…I think I found this one in a monastery. I'm not sure. Why?"

"Mind if I take it?" Yuri asked. He felt the cover, feeling the metal in there. He hadn't been sure before, but now he was pretty sure that the book was meant as a weapon. The bloodstains, the metal--definitely not just for armchair reading.

"Doesn't Alice have her own book?" Roger asked.

"Yeah…but I think this might be useful," Yuri said. "Besides, it's no use to you," he said suddenly. He didn't know why, but he just had a feeling that Roger would never be able to translate it.

Roger was puzzled by his words but handed over the book. "Alright, then go give it to her. Might as well go up, you're the last one down here."

"Thanks." Yuri took the book and the note, bringing them upstairs. After looking down at himself, he realized he should get his coat on at least. He slid the book next to Alice's head--she was already sleeping--and went over to his place on the floor.

"So, we're going to Blue Castle tomorrow?" Zhuzhen asked.

Yuri nodded. "I guess, if Keith said okay. It's going to take a few days, but we'll get there." He yawned, his mouth opening wide. "I'm going to sleep now," he announced, covering himself with his coat. He was too sleepy to put on a shirt and in a minute he was asleep. Zhuzhen shook his head in amusement and went to sleep himself.

**

"You understand now?" Kain said.

Persephone looked shocked from what she had heard, but she nodded. "Yes…but I never realized that was possible…"

"Our power can take many different forms," Syth said. "You must realize that by now. It's unpredictable what a child's powers will be…"

"Yeah, like Regina…" Kain said, but Syth suddenly stared at him coldly. The look made the illusionist very uncomfortable. "Well…you better be getting to sleep Pers. It's way past your bedtime."

"I don't have a bedtime," Persephone said irritably. Still, she knew they didn't want her here and she got up to leave.

"Wait, Pers…" She stopped and looked at Syth. He looked uncomfortable, but finally he said, "I…I hope your father's blood takes in you."

She was surprised. Syth actually caring about something. "Well…thank you," she said finally. "Good night."

**

Alice woke up. Bacon's house was dark, so she guessed that everyone was asleep still. Sleepily she pushed herself up, and her hand brushed against a book. Her book? She thought she'd put it away earlier…

She picked it up and felt it, realizing that it couldn't be her book. It was too small. She stood up and walked over to the vending machine, which was still lit up with its many lights. Looking at the book now, she saw it was a white book, small but a bit heavy for its size. Because of the metal, she guessed when she opened the cover.

She frowned at the writing inside. It wasn't Latin, or any language she knew. But still, it seemed familiar…

_"Can you read?" she offered the book to him and he looked at it scornfully._

"Of course I can. What damn idiot can't read?"

She knew then that he was lying. Who would have taught him? Instead of pointing out the lie though, she simply began reading.

"God, our eternal Father…"

After a few lines, she felt him standing next to her, growing curious. She was pointing out the characters as she read; pretending it was for herself but knowing that that he was following along.

"I only know these people's language," he finally admitted. "I can't read. They never taught me." He took the book and she let him look at it. "Interesting idea though…knowledge as a weapon…"

"Do you always think of fighting?" she asked.

He didn't bother looking up. "Existence itself is a struggle, from womb to grave."

"Weren't you listening to what I said before?" she asked desperately. "Fighting isn't necessary. We can stop this war, both of us."

"What if I don't want to?" he asked, snapping the book closed. "All I care about is getting what I want."

"You're not like that," she argued.

He looked at her with those strange eyes, hidden in darkness. "Are you sure about that?"

"Sarah…are you sure we can trust him? I don't like this…"

"Please, Sarah. I'm sure he'll keep his word."

"Sarah, I…"

"Sarah…"

"Alice!"

"Come on, Alice! Up and at 'em!"

Alice's eyes fluttered open and she looked at Zhuzhen and Yuri, both standing over her. _I fell asleep_, she realized. _What an odd dream…that book was really odd._

"I see you found the book," Yuri said, looking down. She did as well and saw the book lying open in her lap. "Hey," he whispered, kneeling beside her, "Can you read that?"

She looked at the book and its strange language. "Of course not," she said, whispering as well.

Yuri sighed. "Ah, darn. For some reason I thought you might know it. Oh well, Roger lent it and I think it makes a pretty good weapon. It can be a backup."

"Oh…alright." Alice looked at it again, _this does look like it could be a good weapon…_

"But…you need to kind of move," Yuri said. "You're blocking the vending machine and I need to get supplies."

"Oh!" She quickly scooted out of the way and then stood up. She walked next to Zhuzhen and quietly asked, "Are you sure he should be the one buying?"

The Adept shrugged, "Well he is the best with those Judgment Rings and we all brought our Guild cards, so…"

"But…you remember what happened last time?"

"The machine's fixed, isn't it?"

**

****

Reviewers:

Delka: Yes, the hyperbolic time chamber is good. But their sagas are **way** too freakin' long. ::Glares at tv:: Will you just kill Majin Buu or whatever his name is already?! Come on!

****

Dragon Wolf: Good luck! Hope the war ends soon. And when you do come back…

UPDATE YOUR FANFIC!!!

****

Poopooplatter: Exams are the utmost evil. Glad you're back!

****

The Emerald Guardian: Thanks! I know there's probably some confusion with this fic, but things will eventually be explained in later chapters. If it's something with my writing style that's making you confused or you think I'm neglecting something, please tell me!

****

Tiger5913: Well, I can't beat Yuri up…but I can ask Regina to discipline him.

Alice: You did **what**?

Don't worry, you'll get him back…she's just having a little fun with him.

Regina: Ohoho! ::drags a tied-up Yuri on the floor::

Okay, maybe a little too much fun…but he tied me up. That's how I'm getting revenge.

****

Nights Mistress: Hmm…maybe it was a good thing that Yuri gagged me then… ::glances over to where Regina is 'having fun' with him:: …she can have him for a few more minutes…::grins::

****

Neko-Kelcie: Thanks for the review!

****

Gutterfiend: A novelization, huh? Hope you can get that up soon. And yeah, I set my goal of weekly updates for the abandonment reason too (two fanfics went down the drain that way!)

****

Greyfriars: Thanks! Sometimes I get worried about whether or not my characters are believable, or if I'm totally wrecking them.

Um…I believe Yuri's getting his punishment right now for his smart aleck comments ^^.

Alice: That woman is going to scar him for life…

Actually, I tried looking at the Burning Monkey Solitaire, but I couldn't get to it. Probably a good thing…my computer hates downloads (to everyone who sent me something, sorry but I can't get into it!)

****

The Matriarch Mavina: Well, I tried not to spoil too much, so it'd be hard to get anything out of it.

**

****

Author's Note:

Um…I know I added on an extra level to Bacon's house. That was just added partly because it seemed like he **would** have a library and um…bit of a plot device. ::sweatdrop:: But hey, no one's complained yet.

And this chapter was…ugh. Blah. I hated writing this one.

Just a warning for future chapters. If all goes as planned, some of these chapters might turn out **really** weird. I'm not sure, but just…this is a warning.

Um…that's pretty much it for that…

By the way, if you were wondering what the little conversation between Alice and Zhuzhen was about, here's a little section I wrote. It seemed a little too ridiculous to be included with the chapter, but I thought it was kind of funny. Just my take on how you get discounts (^^).

**

"Come on baby, forty off! Forty…"

"That looks hard," Joshua commented, looking at the narrow rings.

"OHHHH YEEEAAAAHHHH!!!!"

"He's on drugs," Margarete said flatly, watching as Yuri celebrated in front of the flashing vending machine. "He has to be. There's just no other explanation."

"I don't think we should have let him buy," Keith said.

"Come on baby, fifty off! Fifty…"

"This is going to turn nasty," Halley predicted.

"Is it really that fun?" Sharon asked.

"NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Bacon, this stupid %^%*&^ machine is rigged!"

BAMBAMBAMBAM--

"Would you stop that?!"

"And it's broken again," Alice observed as a stream of miscellaneous roots rushed out.

"OHHHH YEEEAAAAHHHH!!!!"


	13. First Signs of Doubt

****

Disclaimer: Don't own Shadow Hearts, do own Persephone, and Kain, and Pan, and Syth ::hugs Syth, as she has decided he is her new favorite::.

Syth: …off of me…

**

Koudelka had mentioned that it probably wouldn't be the best idea for the children to come along, so they had decided to first stop at London before going to Bistritz, and then Blue Castle.

Along the train ride, Alice found Yuri staring out the window. "So…you did have the same dream as me," she began hesitantly. She didn't really want to talk about it, but it was important that they did.

Yuri shook his head. He didn't turn to face her. "I'd rather just forget about it."

"It's not like you did that because you wanted to," Alice said. "I couldn't control myself either. It was the same for you, wasn't it?"

He nodded. But still, it wasn't the same. She might have been unable to control herself--but she hadn't been the aggressor. She'd just been defending herself, while he…

She bit her lip, then sighed and joined him on the chair. "What's the matter?"

"Everything's…just way too confusing. I don't want to think about this anymore."

"You want everything to be easy for you, right?" Alice said teasingly. As he laid his head down, she found herself running her fingers through his hair. It was so soft and smooth… "You want all the answers?"

Yuri sighed softly. "Regina has all the answers, I just need to get them from her."

"So…let's get them."

**

"Finally, we're home!" Joshua announced as they walked into the hideout. Everything looked the same as when Yuri had last come, except…neater. Yuri guessed that was Koudelka's doing. It wasn't like the place had been a pigsty before; Chris had helped kept it neat. But with two little kids, that was a big task for just one person.

"Can we go see Old Carl?" Sharon asked Koudelka.

"Hmm…tomorrow. I think it's a little too late now," she answered. Both children groaned and Koudelka only shook her head. "Girls are on the top floor, boys are below," she reminded everyone. "Good night. And go to sleep early, alright? You better not stay up all night Joshua."

"Aww…."

**

Zhuzhen looked at Yuri in surprise as the Harmonixer began putting on his claws and armor. "What are you doing, Yuri?" Everyone else was all settled in; the girls had already gone upstairs, and the boys had their beds set out. But Yuri apparently wasn't planning to sleep.

"I'm going to the Graveyard," he muttered. "I know we might get some answers from Keith's clan, but Regina could give me all the info."

"The claws?" Keith asked, raising an eyebrow.

Yuri shook his head. "I don't think she'll be willing to just tell me off the bat. There might be a fight. Just in case…could one of you stay up?"

Halley looked at the other guys and then at Joshua, who looked interested but clueless. He didn't think Joshua would stay calm if Yuri started getting mysterious injuries and told him, "Mom said you have to go to bed."

The younger boy pouted. "C'mon, can't I stay up just a little more? Please?"

"It's going to be really boring," Halley told him.

Joshua looked suspicious though. "You're just saying that to get me to go to sleep."

"Zhuzhen, isn't it boring?"

The Adept nodded. "Oh yes, it's very boring."

"I'm just going to be sleeping," Yuri pointed out. "I don't think it's that exciting to watch someone sleep."

"Oh." Joshua seemed put out by this and said, "Good night then." He lay down on his blankets and covered himself up.

Yuri also lay down, like he was going to go to sleep, but his eyes stayed open. Halley faced him, but discreetly checked on Joshua every few minutes. At last… "He's asleep."

"Okay," Yuri said. "Don't worry if I get injured. I'll wake up if things are getting too bad."

They nodded, knowing that Yuri had done that a few times when fighting his fusion souls. Yuri closed his eyes and concentrated on the Graveyard. It had become second nature to him to get there quickly, especially after a few scares when his talisman was red and monsters surrounded them. In two minutes, he was already there.

**

[Yuri's POV]

"Now, how to get her to come here," I muttered. Before, she had always arranged the meetings. Lately though, she'd been holding off. For the last two days, nothing. That alone made me kind of curious.

I wanted to check out the Fire grave, see if that would help me any. As I got closer to it, I could feel warmth inside of my chest, not coming from my own body. _The Flare Brooch must be responding to it,_ I thought. The Fire grave was also glowing.

Alright, then…I pressed my hand to the grave and concentrated. _Regina…come to the Graveyard…_

I sent the same thought over and over in my head, turning it into a mantra. _Come…come…come…_

After roughly ten minutes, I sighed and dropped my hand. She wasn't coming. That wouldn't work--then how could I get her to answer my questions? There was so much I needed to know…

So many questions…well, hopefully Keith's clan would be able to answer some of them, at least…I started to turn and leave, but a voice suddenly stopped me.

"You called?"

I turned and saw Regina, sitting on top of the grave. This time she wore a short black dress, and her hair was up in a bun. She smiled and slid off of the grave. "Sorry. I couldn't make out anything at first, but I heard you."

"I want you to answer my questions," I said. When she didn't seem to understand, I added, "I hate these games. Why don't you just tell me the truth?"

"The truth?" she said thoughtfully. She looked around the Graveyard. "And just what do you think the truth is?"

"Why don't you just tell me?"

Regina shook her head. "I can't. You'd never believe me."

"Because it's all lies!" I forced myself to calm down and said, "Look, just **tell** me, okay? It'd be a whole lot easier for everyone involved."

"Except for me. And it would do a disservice to you."

I growled and clenched my fists, sending a clear message to her.

"You have your claws? Well there's no more malice, and no new fusion souls…" She sobered suddenly and said, "I suppose you want to fight me."

"If I win, will you tell me everything, right now?" I said. I was fairly confident a fight could do me no harm. After all, she **didn't** want me dead, and I could easily get out of the Graveyard if necessary. I didn't plan on having to do that though.

"Hmm…I suppose I will. It's a good thing I woke up Pan." She held out her open right hand and a long whip appeared. No…not just a whip. "Never seen a cat o' nine tails?"

"A what?"

"Nine knotted cords fastened together." She shook out the cords and I saw in the knots, the shine of metal. "Listen, I don't want to hurt you too badly, so I won't use magic on you."

"Oh, thanks a lot," I said sarcastically. "I'm not that weak. But I guess then I won't fuse. Deal?"

She smiled mysteriously. "You don't have to be a gentlemen."

_Is she trying to get me mad on purpose?_ I wondered. If so, she was starting to do a really good job. But she offered not to use magic--what did that mean? Was she being condescending? Or was magic not her strong point anyway, it didn't matter if she used it or not?

Or…was she honestly concerned about not hurting me more than was necessary?

_We'll see,_ I thought. "Ready?" I asked.

She nodded and I ran forward, just one test shot. I wanted to see how fast she could react with that whip of hers, but surprisingly, she didn't do anything, just stood there. _Dammit, she is being condescending_, I decided, _either that or she's really underestimated me._ I threw a punch aimed at her face--and hit only air.

"Huh?!" I turned and saw her standing to my right, smiling. Dammit…that smirk was really starting to piss me off now. No more playing around. I punched again, and this time she jumped off of the mound with the three graves before the hit connected. "What the hell! Are you going to attack sometime?"

"Perhaps."

_Okay, calm down,_ I thought to myself. _She's probably trying to get me mad just so I do something stupid. Calm down._ Nope, wasn't working. I was seriously considering fusing, but I'd said I wouldn't, so I'd better not. If I started a fusion, she would probably start using magic--which would make things worse for me. After all, she was the ruler of the Fire clan, and she had enough magic to break a strong seal, from what Alice had told me.

Just physical strength…usually that was enough for me, but how could it help if I couldn't even land a punch?

"This is foolish, Hyuga," Regina said. "You're a mortal now. You're weaker."

No…that didn't make sense…Keith wasn't that much better than the rest of us…but then again, he was only four hundred years old…and she was at least two thousand…so her experience must be her strong point.

"Besides…I've seen you fight so many times," she said. "Your fighting style is as familiar to me as my own."

Shit. No wonder she was dodging so easily. "Come on then," I said, walking towards her, just in the range of her cat o' nine tails. "We're not going to get anywhere if you just keep dodging."

"I suppose you're right," she said. She held the whip in both hands, but now she lashed the whip against the ground with a loud, almost deafening, crack. I supposed that was my warning. She straightened the nine cords and then lashed out at me. I barely had time to dodge, the whip hitting the ground just missing my foot, and then it was my turn. This time I did a kick--she shouldn't be able to block it now--

Which was why I was stunned when cords wrapped around my leg as it was coming down. Regina had backed away again and gotten the whip around my leg. The smile on her face vanished as she pulled hard, digging sharp metal bits into the skin and throwing me to the ground.

**

"His pants have blood on them," Keith noted. He rolled up Yuri's jeans and took a look. "My…What kind of weapon does this?"

Both Halley and Zhuzhen looked at Yuri's leg. The lower left leg was bleeding badly. There were bruises, as well as cuts, all up and down his leg. Zhuzhen shook his head. "I've never seen anything like that."

"I wish we could wake him up," Halley said, looking Yuri over. "I hate the Graveyard, I can never tell what's going on. He's fighting…but is he winning? Is he losing? It's frustrating as hell."

"Calm down," Zhuzhen said, shaking his head. "We'll find out soon enough."

**

[Yuri's POV]

Slowly, I got back up on my feet. My left leg was screaming bloody murder and I looked at the whip with newfound respect. It definitely wasn't a toy.

"You can't beat me as you are now," she said simply.

"I'm just a little rusty," I said. "Give me time." It was partly true; I hadn't had many difficult fights in a few months, and I probably wasn't as strong as I'd been when we had fought Meta God. But the outcome of this battle, now that I had an injured leg, was fairly certain. Regina would probably win.

Realizing that…I wondered for a minute if I shouldn't just admit defeat and give up. But if I did that, how was I going to figure out what she was after, what was going on? I put my fists up again, getting ready for her next attack.

She chuckled. "You're still as stubborn as ever." She closed her eyes and said, "Let's end this."

I was already charging as she said that. One thing was for sure, in a fight you always concentrate on your opponent. She wasn't doing that, and I might as well take advantage.

At least, that's what I thought, until once again, my punch missed. Nine cords lashed against my back twice, and I was already falling forward when they wrapped around my right arm, jerking me out of the fall but putting me in even more pain.

I looked to my right and saw Regina. Her eyes were still closed and in a last desperate move, I tried to punch her with my left fist. Her eyes shot open and she grabbed my fist with her hand. She began twisting my arm and I tried to resist it, but she was too strong and forced me to the ground.

Then, suddenly, she stopped twisting. "I think you know by now you can't beat me," she said, looking at me. "With, or without magic. It used to be I who could not beat you." Regina's smile returned, and she began healing me. I wondered how she trusted me not to attack again--but then realized the grip she still had on my right arm was enough of a deterrent. "We used to spar against each other occasionally, for fun--I could never defeat you. You were a strong fighter." But she hadn't even broken a sweat, her bun still perfectly in place. Her deep red eyes pierced mine. I could almost hear her laughter again, along with my own…

I shook my head, trying to get rid of the thought. "What are you doing to me?" I said suspiciously.

Her smile turned wistful. "You may have fancied her--maybe still, you do. But I am the one you need. I am not angry for what you did. You have been given enough pain and grief for your mistake, too much. So…when you realize who you truly love, I will be waiting for you with open arms."

_When you realize…waiting… _My mouth opened, but no words came out. Her eyes were filled with a flame--one that seemed to burn away everything else.

She bent down and asked, "Shall I show you a truth?"

**

Halley couldn't understand what was going on. Yuri had been injured, and now he was fine--well, except for his right arm. But as he and the others watched, that also healed.

"He's not fused," he pointed out.

"No." Keith wondered for a bit and then said, "Is she healing him then?"

"But why would she?"

Yuri rolled over onto his side, and Halley thought he had woken up. "Yuri?" Halley touched his shoulder and the Harmonixer rolled back, his eyes still shut. His head turned, back and forth.

"Is he out of the Graveyard?"

"No, I don't think he is," Zhuzhen said, looking him over. "Yuri usually wakes right up, he doesn't stay asleep."

Yuri suddenly began thrashing and Halley realized that the problem was he couldn't wake up. "Yuri!" he yelled. "Wake up!" When that didn't work, he shook him. "Yuri!"

Yuri's eyes opened. For a minute, he stared at Halley, who quickly became uncomfortable being stared at. Then he let out a sigh of relief and covered his eyes. _Just a dream…_ "Halley?"

"Yeah?"

"She just kicked my butt. I don't think I'm going to find anything out this way."

Keith nodded. "I thought as much."

"What?! Keith, if you knew I was going to lose-"

"I knew you would lose if she was the real Regina. But I thought there was a chance she could be an imposter."

Yuri shook his head and sighed. "I'm pretty sure she's the real deal."

"Then, my clan should be able to help you."

Yuri nodded. "Alright. Show's over. Guess it's bedtime now."

The others wrapped themselves in their blankets and gradually fell asleep. Yuri lay down…but he couldn't sleep. Every time his eyes started to close, they would appear again and scream.

He sat up, shuddering. His fusion souls agreed with them. They agreed, and joined them in the accusations. Those horrible accusations…

He was still dressed, and he simply got up and went downstairs, not wishing for sleep.

**

"Auntie Koudelka, can't we go with them?" Sharon pleaded.

"Auntie?" Yuri echoed. Halley shrugged.

Koudelka smiled. "No, I already told you. We should just wait here for Halley to come back. By the way," she said, turning to her son, "You do remember when the ship comes—"

"Gah, I know, I know mom! There's a good two months before it comes. I'll be back **way** before then."

His mother's smile turned mischievous. "You better, or we'll have to leave you behind."

"Hah hah. Very funny," Halley said sullenly. He looked behind at the platform and groaned. "The train's late. This is **great**."

"Why are you in such a rush to leave?" Chris asked.

"Oh…I guess I'm just impatient," he said. After last night, he really wasn't in the mood to just sit around. This Regina…Yuri said he couldn't even land one hit on her. Every time he'd tried, he had ended up getting hurt. How strong was she with her magic…? "Don't worry, I'm going to come back soon."

"Here's the train," Margarete said. "Everyone's got their tickets, right?" Everyone nodded and so she said, "Well, I suppose this is goodbye," to Joshua, Sharon, and Chris. "Bye Koudelka."

"Goodbye," she replied. One by one, the others got on the train until it was only Halley and Yuri. Halley gave a goodbye hug to an enthusiastic Sharon and hesitantly allowed himself to be hugged by Koudelka. He expected Yuri to make a sarcastic remark, but there was none. He looked at the harmonixer as he passed him on the way to the train. Was it just him, or did Yuri seem a little tired? He had gotten up earlier than anyone else, so it was a possibility.

"Well, bye," Yuri said. "I hope I see you guys again."

Koudelka nodded and Yuri turned to get on the train. "Oh, Yuri, just one thing," Koudelka called. Yuri looked at her. "Everything will be alright, as long as you remember your purpose in living."

_My purpose…in living?_

"Sir, the train is about to leave."

"A-alright," Yuri said, stepping onto the train. Alice waved at him, gesturing for him to join them. He turned back as the doors shut and looked at Koudelka, waving goodbye. _What does she mean? My purpose in living…what is it?_

**

****

Author's Note: The last few chapters have been kind of hard to write. I had some of the scenarios I wanted to include planned out, but like I've said, this fanfic hasn't exactly been plotted out. I had to decide what to include and what to cut out and how to change everything…

Yuri: You're screwing it up again…

::sweatdrop:: Hey! It's gone well so far, so shush! I have to say the best thing about this chapter was choosing Regina's weapon. Cat o' nine tails are cool ^^.

Yuri: They **hurt**, you know! And it didn't help that you added metal in the knots!

Oh, don't be a crybaby.

Sorry about the writing. I actually began writing the last part of this first…and the first part was added in last ::sweatdrop:: So…this might seem like a really bizarre chapter. And I haven't answered any of the mysteries! But…there should be a few answers next time…

Yuri: Although she hasn't yet decided how many answers, or which…

That isn't true! I chose **two** answers.

Yuri: Oh, you chose **two** answers. Congratulations.

It's actually about the war, and what happened at Hyuga's birth, which explains the prejudice against him. By the way, some people might be, um…kind of offended by what it is. So…if you are easily offended, proceed with caution! And even if you aren't…

****

This is a warning, okay?!

Yuri: That's one way to put it.

And, of course, it also explains in part the Earth clan's role in the war. By the way, this is now PG-13 with **some** R content.

Yuri: Anything else?

Um…nah. On to reviewers!

**

****

Reviewers:

Gutterfiend: Another reason I changed it was because sometimes in video games it's not really believable that the place is as small as they make it. I mean, there's got to be more to Blue Castle than a tower and two rooms! Although it does also help explanations ^^.

****

Kimgrasshopper: Thanks for the review! I think Yuri is pretty smart, it's just his attitude towards things that make him seem stupid. Actually, the part I think shows how thoughtful he can be is in the last conversation with Roger Bacon (at least, I think so ::looks mournfully at where the PS2 used to be::).

And about the Oedipal complex…I have this theory-

Yuri: AEGIS! Shut up with that stupid theory!

Aww….who's BoomBoom Margarete?

****

PoopooPlaTTer: Sure, call me Aegis. Um…sorry about all the mysteries…Regina's not cooperating ::glares at Regina::

Regina: What? What'd I do?

Writeress? It does sound kind of weird…but thanks for the compliment.

****

Tiger5913: Ooh, I don't think you're going to like me later on…

****

Nights Mistress: There's also a Kain in FFIV, and I'm more familiar with that game than Legacy of Kain. So yes, it is just a coincidence.

Here's more Regina. Is she really that cool? I didn't think she was (although I love her weapon!).

****

Greyfriars: Actually, the library's on the bottom, but same thing. I just had to include the bit about Yuri breaking the vending machine.

Yuri: Yes, because she thinks she's oh-so-funny.

Oh, go jump in a lake.

****

The Matriarch Mavina: Thanks for the review!


	14. Pieces of Mind

**Disclaimer: **No.  Don't own Shadow Hearts.  Do own Nis now (or did I name her Dis?  Oops…)

**

**Reviewers:**

**Aenea:**  (For when she reads this chapter  ::sweatdrop::) Actually, my sister owns it, so I don't really own even a copy of Shadow Hearts.  And my friend still has it, although she actually started **playing** it!  Then she was making fun of all the sweatdrops and exclamation marks over people's heads.  Um…thank you for adding to the total.

**Milia:**  Glad you liked it.

**Delka:**  Ooh, very poor Yuri in this chapter.

Yuri: What are you doing to me this time?

Can't tell…and there's a bit more of Pers in this chapter.

PoopooPlaTTer:  Not half!  One-fifth of it was for reviewers!!  ::sweatdrop:: well, okay, so that's still a lot of the chapter…but still! 

**Gutterfiend:**  Yep.

**Nights Mistress:** Oops.  This chapter doesn't really feature Regina, so…but there is more told in this chapter.  As soon as I thought of a cat o' nine tails, I realized that **had** to be Regina's weapon.  It suits her.

**Greyfriars:**  Actually, I don't really like Freud either, but you got to admit it's a kind of fascinating theory.

Yuri: Only to you…

AND!  You find out his 'purpose in living' in this chapter.

My name?  Aegis or ariescelestial?  Neither have anything to do with Shadow Hearts (take that Bacon).  Ariescelestial was basically ripping off of a friend who used the name virgocelestial, and then simply using my sign instead.  Aegis was a character name (it's an English word, too) that got recycled into my review name.  Before you ask, Aegis (the character) was **not** a Mary-Sue.  That would be kind of hard since, well…the original Aegis was male.  But then I realized Aegis was a pretty asexual name, so I used it for myself as well.  What's a monad hieroglyph?

::smiles:: I'm happy!  You guys are such great reviewers!

**Tiger5913:**  Is Regina going to hit on Yuri?  Let's ask Regina…

Regina: Is NC-17 allowed?

…Nope.

Regina: Dammit!  How about hinting at NC-17?

Hmm…

Yuri: Aegis, don't you even **think** about it.

We'll talk later, Regina.

Regina: Okay, I'll go then.  By the way, Alice challenged me to a match.  Then it turned into best of three, then best of five.  Right now it's best of nine.

Alice: Come on!  Best out of eleven!

Yuri:  ::sweatdrop:: Um, Alice, c'mon, don't you think you've had enough?

Regina: Personally, I'm loving every moment of this.  ::Gets her cat o' nine tails::

**        

**Author's Note:**  **This is your last warning!  You might be offended towards the end of the chapter!!!**

Yuri:  Uh, Aegis, chill out.

I can't I can't I can't.  It's the crappiest chapter ever.  It's horrible.  Oh yes.  **Most horrible characterization ever of Margarete!  Flame as much as you want about her!  **I can't figure out her character…this is going to be the most pathetic Margarete/Keith ever written…Keith might seem OOC, but it's justified later…at least I hope it will be…

Yuri: C'mon, Aegis, calm **down**.

I can't!!!

Yuri: ::sigh:: she's been like this ever since she got past the first scene.  Sorry people, she's just in a bad writing mood today.  She thinks she forced the Keith/Margarete too much…it will be explained more in the next chapter…but if people respond negatively, she'll eliminate that pairing.  Regina, can you baby-sit her now?

Regina:  Sure!  Please, read and flame!

I don't feel so well now…

**

            "Oh heellllarrrrgh."

            "What?" Margarete asked, turning in time to see Yuri throw up.  Luckily, he threw up over the railing, but it was still gross.  "Kiddo, we're on a better boat this time.  It's not rocking **that much**."

            Yuri glared at her.  "It's not that, it's that lunch—oh damaugh," and there went a bit of ham and cheese.

            "Look, I told you the food looked suspicious.  And did you listen to me?  Nooo."

            "Stop rubbing it in," he said, resting his head on his arms.  He still felt sick, but at least now it felt like his stomach was empty, and the breeze was a little calming.  Besides, he could already see where they'd be landing.  Just five more minutes and they'd be off the stupid idiotic boat.  "I was hungry."

            "Ugh, men and their stomachs.  Listen to your brain more and you wouldn't be throwing up right now."

            "Would you stop rubbing it in?" Yuri complained.  He wanted to be on a train again.  At least they didn't sway back and forth like a boat did.  _Just a few more minutes…_  "Hey, Margarete…"

            "What?"

            "Do you think there's, like…"  Yuri gestured aimlessly at the ocean, like he had dropped his train of thought over the rail—_Probably did,_ Margarete thought to herself.  "Do you think there's a purpose to life?  Like a destiny?"

            Margarete stared at his back.  _Where on earth did **this** come from?_ She thought.  "What do you mean?  You didn't read a stupid fortune cookie, did you?"

            Yuri sighed.  He had felt like talking to someone about it, but didn't know what there was to talk about.  He couldn't even figure out what Koudelka meant.  "No.  And get off the food subject or I'll have to throw up on you."

            "Don't you dare."

            There was a lull in the conversation.

            "So are you going to answer the question?" Yuri asked.  He looked down at the water around the boat and wondered briefly if ham would float or sink.

            "No."

            "Why not?"

            "My answer is no.  I don't think there's any such stupid thing as destiny.  After all, don't we have the choice to make our own decisions?"

            "But what if we have something we're supposed to go do?  We can choose, but we're supposed to do it."

            "Then, if you want to do it, do it.  If not, tell whoever's telling you to do it to leave you alone."

            "But I don't know who's telling me to do it," he complained.

            "Who's telling you to do what?"

            "I don't know!"  At this point Yuri got frustrated and began banging his head against the railing, chanting something like _whymewhymewhyme_ in his head.

            "Yuri, what size straitjacket are you?  They're going to want to know at Calios."

            "Shut up shut up shut-"

            At this moment, a rather funny thing happened, namely the boat suddenly jerked and almost sent Yuri overboard.  Yuri could suddenly feel the boat move from beneath his feet, the metal railing hitting against him, and Margarete's hand grabbing his trench coat to keep him from going forward any more.

            "We must have docked," the spy noted.

            _I **hate** boats._

Yuri quickly stood up and turned against the railing.  "God, what's with these boats!  All this jerking and rolling and…what?"

            Margarete was looking at him expectantly.  "You're welcome, Yuri."

            _Huh?_

            "You're welcome…"

            "I'm supposed to say thank you?"

            She threw up her hands.  "You're great with gratitude, kiddo.  You would've gone overboard if I didn't catch you."

            "No…I would've just gotten hit with the rail," he said.  "It's too high for me to go over."

            "You would've gone over."

            "No…"

            "Yes…"

            "Okay, even if I had gone over, big deal," Yuri said.  "Look, I land in the water, fuse into Egil, and swim!  Big deal!  I get a little wet."

            "Can you swim?"  He shook his head.  "Okay, kiddo, if you don't know how to swim, it doesn't matter what you turn into, you're gonna drown."

            "He's a water class.  A little water isn't going to hurt him, he uses that in magic."

            "A **little**?  Kid, I'm a water class and I've almost drowned once."

            "No offense, but your magic sucks."

            Margarete turned a shade red.  "My magic?  **My** magic sucks?  This from the guy who has to turn into some ugly monster just to use magic?"

            "You can't do a single spell!"

            Margarete scowled, and then suddenly grinned.  "I'm going to show you a little trick I made."  She put her right hand up in front of his face, index finger pointing at him like her hand was a gun.  Yuri had the sense to start backing away, but that was when water shot out at him from her finger, spraying him in the face.

            "Margarete!"

            "C'mon kid, say thank you!"

            "Like I'm going to say it **now**!"

            "Alright then, but you're going to be awfully wet soon!"

            "Get **back** here!"

**

            _Squish squish_

His shoes squeaked as Yuri walked over to Alice and the others.  Margarete, who had found them sooner, waved gaily at him and then doubled over laughing.  For all his efforts to catch her, he'd been hit with water constantly and was now totally wet.

            _Squish squish_

            "What happened?" Alice asked.  "You look like you fell overboard."

            Yuri turned a very dark look on for the benefit of Margarete, but she was still laughing and not taking him at all seriously.

            In fact, she said, "I told you you'd get wet!" and started laughing even harder.

            "It's her fault," he growled.

            Zhuzhen looked him over from head to toe—and he was dripping wet all over—and shook his head.  "Hopefully you'll dry out on the way to the train station."

            With a heavy scowl, Yuri began walking to the train station, the others trying not to join Margarete in her laughter as they followed him.

            _Squish squish_

_            I **hate** boats._

**

            Once Yuri had gotten his luggage settled, he went after Halley.  He was still thinking about Koudelka's last words, and he wanted to figure out what she'd meant.  Halley might know.

            He stepped into Halley's compartment.  Halley was also settled in and lying on his bed.  "Hey."  Halley sat up.  "Isn't this kind of neat?  It's been a great reunion in a way.  I like this, traveling with everyone again."

            "Yeah, I guess," Yuri said uncertainly.

            Halley looked curiously at him.  "Something wrong?"  He grinned and added, "Besides getting all wet."

            Yuri chose to charitably ignore that last jab at his dignity.  Besides, that wasn't what he was interested in.  "Your mom said something to me, when I was getting on the train in London," Yuri answered.  "She said, 'Everything will be alright, as long as you remember your purpose in living'."

            "She did?"

            "Yeah.  But the problem is I have no clue what she was talking about.  I don't know what my purpose in life is."

            "Hm…"  Halley looked up at the ceiling as he thought about this.  Below him, the train was rattling along the track, slowly taking them to Prague.  Prague was the largest town in the area, as well as having the closest train station to Bistritz.  "Well, it sounds like she expected you to know what she was talking about.  Maybe she'd told you earlier?"

            Yuri looked at the bed for a few minutes, trying to figure out if she'd ever mentioned it before.  The phrase did sound a little familiar, but…  "I don't remember."

            "Well, try to think of when it was.  Was it after we rescued her?"

            Yuri shook his head.  "No…I think she told me through telepathy.  I don't know why though…"

            Purpose for living…

            Surprised, Yuri looked at Halley.  "What'd you do that for?"

            Halley shrugged.  "Wanted to see if it'd help you remember."

            "You're not the same as your mom.  She sets off all my fusion souls when she does that.  You…"  Yuri shook his head.  "I don't know why, but they don't get upset because of you.  I remember, Koudelka kept giving me migraines when I first met Alice—"  The Harmonixer stopped mid-sentence as he realized something.  "That's when she told me!"

            "See?  Told you."

            "Alice had run off…and I started chasing after her, but then your mom started telling me…"  Yuri tried to remember what exactly she had been saying.  "Something about…Darkness and Light being reunited…and then she said 'Protect', I couldn't make out the words for a while.  'Protect…and find your purpose in living'."

            "Darkness and Light reunited?  Had you and Alice met before?"

            Yuri shook his head.  "We couldn't have.  I'd never been in Europe before, and I'm sure that was her first time in China."

            "Well, she told you to protect Alice before, right?  So she must have been saying to protect Alice and find your purpose in living.  Your purpose is to protect Alice."  Halley looked very confused himself. "At least that's what I **think** she meant…"  He shrugged.  "Sounds pretty good to me.  I mean, that's what you'd want to do anyways.  But…why would mom mention that **now**?  It sounds like you need a lot more protection than Alice does."

            At the same time he said that, he noticed Yuri flinch slightly and then look down.  His eyes widened and he sat forward.  "Yuri, Alice isn't in any danger, is she?"

            "Well…"  The Harmonixer raised his eyes again and said, "It just seems like Regina's jealous of her.  I don't know what she'd do to Alice, but I don't think it'd be good."

            Halley shook his head.  "So?  Mom said everything would be okay if you protect Alice.  I don't think she'd say something like that if she wasn't sure we could take care of ourselves."

            "But…"  Yuri sighed and then stood up.  "Thanks Halley.  I'm going to go see what the others are up to."

            Halley frowned and lay back down on his bed after Yuri had left.  What was Yuri so worried about?  He wasn't the kind of person to worry over nothing.  He was usually pretty boastful, in fact.  There had to be something wrong.  But…what was it?

            And why wouldn't Yuri just **say** what it was?

**

            "Hmph.  I wish there was a train station in Bistritz," Margarete said.  "Then we'd get to Blue Castle much faster."

            "And remember, we have to walk from Prague to Bistritz," Zhuzhen said.

            Margarete stared at him with an expression of exasperation.  "We have to walk **again**?"

            "Yes, again."

            "There **has** to be a carriage."

            Alice shook her head.  "There isn't.  And besides, it's only two days."

            Margarete sighed.  "This is so unglamorous…"

            Zhuzhen rolled his eyes while Keith sighed as well.  Ms. Spy Genius could be quite a handful when she wanted to be.

            "Hey Yuri!  Where—" Margarete suddenly stopped.  "Kiddo, you look depressed," she said.  Yuri had entered the car, looking down towards the floor instead of up at everyone.  He flopped down in the nearest seat.

            "I'm tired.  There's a difference."

            "It's only four o'clock!" Margarete shook her head.  "And you shouldn't have gotten that tired from chasing me."  On the boat, he had been chasing her around as she kept baiting him with blasts of water.  "What were you doing last night?"

            Last night, Yuri had been unable to sleep at all after the nightmare.  Instead, he had gone off on a walk around London, returning at around four or five in the morning.  "I was just walking around."

            "You weren't 'cleaning up the streets' again, were you?"

            "Wait, what?" Margarete said, looking at Alice.

            For the first time today, Yuri had a very genuine smile.  Or smirk.  You had to feel sorry for those criminals.  "Two pickpockets.  One mugger.  Then a whole gang of them when his buddies were 'getting revenge'.  All in all, I think it was twelve, total."

            "You were beating people up?" Keith asked.

            "Self-defense.  They attacked me first."

            Alice shook her head.  "More like you were looking for a fight, and they obliged."

            The conversation was getting quite interesting now, and Yuri found himself being distrasted as he put on a fake pout for Alice's benefit.  "Come on.  It helps the police out."

            "You weren't scaring people with your fusions souls, please?  At least tell me you didn't do that."

            "Um…Death Emperor made a few special appearances," Yuri said.

            Alice sighed and put her forehead in her hand, as though she had a headache.  "Yuri Hyuga, you are really just too much trouble sometimes."  Although it didn't sound as stern as it was meant to be, because of her smile and light laugh.  "I suppose those people will be saints from now on."

            Zhuzhen couldn't help but chuckle.  Everyone was a little amused by the thought of some poor pickpocket being scared half to death by the personification of it.  "You're just a street thug, aren't you?"

            "Hey!  I resent that."

            Everyone laughed at Yuri's protest and Halley came out, curious.  "What are you guys laughing about?"

            "Yuri's been playing cop at nighttime," Margarete told him.

            "What?"

            "Last night he was fighting the thieves in London," Keith explained.

            "Oh."  Halley nodded.  It made sense.  "That's why you were so tired."

            "Oh geez," Yuri complained.  "What is it?  Do I have red eyes or something?"  He began rubbing at his eyes.

            "No," Halley said, "You just seemed tired in the morning.  And now."

            "Ugh."

            "Why didn't you go to sleep?" Alice asked.

            Yuri shrugged, his eyes closed.  "Insomnia, I guess."  He shouldn't have let a stupid dream bother him so much.  Last night it had seemed so real, and his fusion souls…but he had to have just imagined that.  They were just the souls of monsters.  Nothing…

            "Kiddo, I got us all compartments so we could sleep in them.  If you're so tired, go take a nap," Margarete said.  Yuri opened his eyes a crack to look at her.  She looked rather amused.  Then again, she usually did.  "Come on, you can get up."

            With a yawn, Yuri got out of his seat and moved along to his compartment, the one in the middle on the left.  He yanked open the door and then slammed it shut, collapsing on the bed.  He buried his face in the pillow and tried to get to sleep.

**

            "Boy, he was pretty tired," Margarete said.  "He must not have gotten any sleep."

            "I was surprised you could get our compartments all together like this," Keith commented.  Their compartments were arranged together, three on one side and three on the left.

            Margarete shrugged.  "Prague's not exactly the most popular place.  There's not that many passengers on here.  It wasn't any trouble getting these together."

            "Got any cards on you?" Zhuzhen asked.  He was getting a little bored, and they usually passed the time in trains or carriages playing card games.

            Margarete smiled and got out her deck.  "What game?"

**

[Yuri's POV]

            I stepped inside of the Graveyard, but I was puzzled.  Why had I come here?  There was no Regina, and I couldn't think of any other reason why I would have come here.

            As I looked around, I saw the glow of the symbols.  All of the graves were brightly glowing.  No…the grave of Darkness wasn't, or Atman's.  But those of Earth, Fire, Air, Light, and Water were.

            What did it mean?  There was no one around, nobody to trigger the symbols.  So…maybe there were new fusion souls.  Was that possible?

            I started walking closer to the first group, of Earth and Fire and Water.  There was something odd about the Graveyard, something…I tried to shake off the feeling of unease and approached the first grave, that of Earth.  Cautiously I touched the symbol—and felt a strong grip on my boot.

            Looking down, I saw to my shock that a hand had grabbed my foot.  A human hand that stuck out of the ground.  I kicked at the hand and got out of its reach, backing away from the graves.  At the graves of Fire and Water, I could also see hands, sticking out of the ground and starting to claw at the rest of it.  Slowly, figures started to raise themselves from the graves.

            "What…what the hell?" I said shakily.  It couldn't be.  It couldn't be them.  "Keith?  Margarete?  What's going on?"

            I could clearly recognize both of them, but they looked different.  Keith was covered in blood, wounds from various kinds of weapons all over his body, many in his chest and stomach.  Nobody could have taken so many wounds and possibly survived.  Margarete…from our experience with Li Li, I could tell…Margarete had drowned.

            "You claimed you were human…"

            "…But really, you're just a soulless beast," Margarete said, finishing Keith's statement.

            I shook my head in disbelief.  "What…"

            "So many horrible things," said a third corpse, standing in front of the Fire grave.  It was burnt beyond recognition, but the voice…the voice was Zhuzhen's…

            "What are you guys talking about?  What happened to you?"

            "Don't play dumb," Zhuzhen said bitterly.  His voice was full of anger.

            I began backing away from them.  They followed me slowly, deliberately, with exaggerated movements and limp limbs.  No way…they couldn't be dead…but then…why were they here…?   Why were they…?

            I moved down along the path, towards the other graves.  There also were arms, dragging their owners out of the graves.  I felt a sense of dread.  If Keith, Margarete, and Zhuzhen were at the graves of Earth, Water, and Fire, then the people buried under the Light and Air had to be…no…

            Halley gazed at me with a fearful gaze.  "How could you?" he asked plaintively.  How could he even speak?  His neck was broken, his head hanging at an odd angle.  He and his companion joined the others surrounding me, continuing to cage me in.

            "You…murderer…"  Alice spoke softly.  She gazed at me with one vacant blue eye.  The other eye was ruined; it had been smashed in.  The claws of an animal showed their marks all over her.

            Murderer?  Why was she calling me a murderer?  I shook my head.  I couldn't have done this to them.  I would never do this.  "I didn't…how did you guys…?"

            "It's all your fault," Margarete said.  She took another step forward and I moved back.

            "Margarete…"

            "She's right," Alice said, with a calm and steady gaze that unnerved me.  She didn't seem to even notice the missing eye.

            "Alice, why?  What happened to you?" I asked desperately.

            She embraced me.  The smell of rotting flesh grew stronger, and drops of blood landed on my shoulder.  "You did.  I thought you loved me, but really…"

            She suddenly stepped back, and then roughly shoved me.  Taken by surprise, I stepped back—and found myself falling, my foot having landed on nothing but air.  Above me, I could see the symbol of Darkness begin to glow.  I was falling into the grave.

            "…I suppose your heart belonged to her."

**

            Yuri jerked awake.  He quickly stood up and went to the door.  Then he paused.  Everything would be fine.  They were all outside, talking to each other.  It had only been a few minutes.  Nothing could have happened.  Having reassured himself, he opened the door and looked outside.

            There was no one.  The others were gone.  No, they couldn't be.  It had been such a short time.  It'd been only five minutes.  He had just fallen asleep.  Where had they all gone?

            _They're dead…_

It had been just a few minutes…what could have happened?

            _You could have killed them all…_

_            Killer…murderer…monster…_

"Shut up," he said, putting his hands up to his head.  "Shut up," he told his fusion souls.  "You're the monsters.  Not me."

            _Where are your friends?_

_            Look under the gravestones…_

"No," he said.  "No.  They're not dead."  They must have just gone into a different car.  Where would all of them go?

            The dining car.

            Yuri started marching through the train, determined to prove the fusion souls wrong.  But as he went through the cars, they continued to taunt him.

            _What an awful trick…_

_            You pretend to be their friend, and then you kill them…_

"No!" he yelled.  His pace became faster, and he was starting to attract stares from the other passengers.  He didn't care.  He just had to get to the dining car…he had to find them…

            _Guilt…you know, don't you…?_

_            They're dead…_

No.  He'd never.  He wouldn't.  Never never never…

            _But you did…_

He reached the dining car and burst in.  His heart suddenly sank.  The conversation and laughter of the few people in the dining room sounded like nothing more than a distant buzz in his ears, nothing compared to what the fusion souls were saying now.  They weren't here.  He couldn't see them.

            They weren't here.  They were…

            His eyes looked distant and lost.  His friends weren't here.  Alice wasn't here.  What…what had he done…?

            The buzzing was getting louder and louder.  The fusion souls were laughing, screeching.

            "…Yuri?  Hey, Yuri!"

            Suddenly the Harmonixer realized he was being called and looked to his left.  He felt a rush of relief as he saw all five of his companions sitting at a table near a corner of the car.  "Come on over, here's a seat!" Alice said, motioning to an empty chair next to her.

            Silently, he took the chair and sat down, slowly realizing that, like last night, it had only been a dream.  Alice smiled at him.  "Did you have a good nap?  You slept for quite a while.  It's been almost four hours!"

            Four…then it was around eight…he'd slept for four hours and had thought…Yuri laughed suddenly and covered his eyes.  It was just a nightmare, just some screwed up dream Regina had given him to scare him.  And yet…then why were his fusion souls agreeing with it?

            Maybe Persephone was manipulating them?  But then she'd have to be nearby, and either Zhuzhen or Alice would have been sure to sense her by now.

            Maybe they just wanted to screw with his head too…

            "I don't think so," Zhuzhen said in response to Alice.  "You look pale, kid."

            "I just had a nightmare."

            "Oh, so that's why you came storming in here."  Margarete rolled her eyes.  "I can tell you would make a **great** spy, subtle and discreet."

            Yuri glared at her.  "I don't want to be a terrorist, thank you very much."

            She glared back at him.  They became very involved in a glaring contest.  Then Yuri's stomach growled loudly.

            "Uh…hungry?" Alice asked, looking at a startled Yuri.

            "Yeah."  He hadn't eaten since lunch, which, if he remembered correctly, had gone overboard on the ferry.

            "Well, let's get some food."

**

            The next morning, the train finally arrived at Prague.  Although Margarete wanted to stop and rest for a while, everyone else wanted to just hurry up and get to Blue Castle.

            "In fact, we could cut two hours off if we just go directly to Blue Castle and skip Bistritz," Halley said, looking at the map.

            "Only if we go to Bistritz afterwards," Keith countered.  He wanted to see Nina and Michelle again, and see how they were doing.  It had been a while.  Halley shrugged.  It was fine with him, and the others soon agreed.  That would take only a few hours, maybe five.  And, they might need more supplies by then, which they could get while they were at Michelle's item shop.

            After they had decided on their course, they immediately set off.  Yuri usually stayed in front of the others, but this time he let Keith lead and fell back so he could talk to Zhuzhen.

            "Hey Zhuzhen?"

            "Hmm?"  The Adept walked using his staff; he didn't really need it, but found it to be something of a relief on long marches like this.

            "I was wondering if you could teach me how to read auras."

            Zhuzhen looked at Yuri in surprise.  "You want to learn that?"

            "Um…yes?"  Yuri was kind of puzzled about why Zhuzhen would ask.  Zhuzhen, for his part, was surprised that Yuri was interested.  Yuri tended to have a more 'I haven't needed it before, so I'm not going to need it later' attitude when it came to learning new skills.  Then again, Yuri probably really wasn't that serious.  Zhuzhen was willing to bet that he could lecture Yuri the whole day on how to read auras, and by nightfall he would not even be able to tell the difference between a Dark class and a Light class.

**

            At dinnertime, Yuri proved to Zhuzhen that it was wise not to bet.  "There's Alice," he said, pointing to where she was.  "And there's Halley."  He turned and pointed, exactly where he was.  "And the weak one's Margarete."  His finger turned to her.

            "I am not weak!" Margarete yelled.  Yuri grinned.  Now that she had yelled, he knew he was right on one at least.  To test Yuri, Zhuzhen had put a blindfold* on him and then told the others to scatter themselves around the area.  They had to be quiet as they walked, so Yuri wouldn't be tipped off as to what direction they were headed in, and they had to be within forty to sixty feet of him, to test his range.

            "There's Keith, and you're standing next to him."  Yuri paused after pointing to both.  "Well, how many did I get?"

            "Five out of five," Zhuzhen called.  "You can take the blindfold off."

            Yuri untied the blindfold, a smirk on his face as he saw that everyone was in the spot that he had thought.  It was better than he'd been at lunch.  At lunch he could only tell that there was a person in a general area.  "You're not a bad teacher, old man."

            Zhuzhen was rather impressed, more with the fact that Yuri had obviously been paying attention than that he could tell where people were.  "Don't get cocky, kid.  First of all, I doubt your skill will be good enough for a battle.  Second of all, it was easy for you to tell where we were because you've known us for some time, and you already know what our classes are.  You'd have a hard time telling the class of a complete stranger.  Third of all, you need to practice more."

            "Do I get a 'congratulations'?" Yuri asked with heavy sarcasm.

            "Nope."

            "I take back what I said about you not being a bad teacher."

            The Adept shook his head.  "Yuri, with your practice with fusion, and your exposure to magic, I'm surprised you didn't learn it before."

            "I've never needed it before."

            _I **knew** he was going to say that eventually,_ Zhuzhen thought.  Still, at least he had bothered to learn **sometime**.  Better late than never.

            "That was great, Yuri!" Alice said, always encouraging.

            Margarete looked thoughtful, then turned to Zhuzhen.  "You think you could teach me too?"

**

            _She awoke, slowly.  She found herself lying under a man.  Slowly she crawled out from beneath him, aware of how difficult her small limbs made it.  She shuddered as she looked down on his horrified face, and the similar expressions on the people lying around her._

_            What had happened?  What had she done?_

_            The last thing she remembered was the mean people taking her away from her mother, ripping away the only person who loved her.  Her mother…_

_            Where was her mother…?_

_            "Mother?"  It came out as a shaky whisper.  She stepped over the man, looking around for her mother.  They had taken her away…she remembered her mother crying out…and then…what had happened…?  Everything else was darkness…_

_            She saw the bodies only as objects.  She didn't want to understand, didn't want to comprehend what had happened.  As long as she found mother everything would be okay…_

_            As long as she found her…_

_            Then, finally, wandering along those streets of hell, she found her mother.  She was sleeping among the others.  Her daughter was old enough to know what had really happened, but she refused to accept it.  There was a chance…wasn't there a chance?  Maybe she was just injured, not…_

_            She kneeled down next to her mother…  "Mom, wake up."_

_            There was no movement._

_            "Mom, please…"  She shook her gently, and then looked at her crimson hands in stunned surprise.  There was so much blood…all her mother's blood…no…she pressed her hands against her face as she sobbed, staining her own face, and then tried again to wake up her mother, hoping against hope that she was alive.  She remembered the babbled promises, promises that she would always be good from now on, she'd never cause any trouble again, if only her mother would wake up wake up please…_

_            Suddenly, she was aware that there was someone else amid all the carnage, watching her.  She stood and turned and—_

**

            Persephone sat up in bed, gasping for breath.  That dream…why had she had that dream again?  It had stopped so long ago, and now it was starting **again**.  She hated that dream.

            What did the dream mean?  It was her mother, but…her mother had died of an illness, not…she shook her head, trying to clear away the cobwebs.  It was impossible.

            Why now?

            Suddenly she became aware of a thread, one of light.  One that connected her and—she didn't think she'd summon a light class monster in a while, so how could she still be connected to it?  Puzzled, she began to trace it, to its roots.  She was startled when it led to a little girl.  Startled and horrified.

            It was the same girl from the park.  They must have gotten connected earlier when they'd met—but how?  And why hadn't she noticed it earlier?

            At the same time as she wondered this, the girl's mind seemed to notice the link as well.  No.  Persephone would not allow this.  She cut the connection, but not before the girl told her, _I can't summon anymore._

            What had she meant?  A person didn't just lose the ability to summon.  And then Persephone realized from the fear and guilt in her voice that the girl was too afraid of herself, too afraid of her ability now, to possibly use her talent again.  The guilt was dredged up again, and Persephone began to wish she could reach out to the girl for one brief second and tell her it was not her fault, all was to be blamed on her.

            But the connection was severed, and there was no way to communicate now.  _Anyway,_ she reminded herself, _she's just a mortal.  I shouldn't be concerned for her._

Surprisingly, it didn't make her feel any better.  And it didn't help her get back to sleep.

**

            "Hi Keith," Margarete said.  Quietly she crawled out of the tent she shared with Alice and came up to him.

            "_Bon soir_, Margarete," Keith said absently.  "It's not your shift tonight."

            She shrugged.  "I couldn't sleep."  Well, it was half-true.  She had suddenly woken up, but she was sure if she'd tried, she could have easily gone back to sleep.  But when she realized it was still Keith's shift, she had decided maybe it was time she had a talk with him.  This was a good of a time as any.  There wasn't much of a chance of interruption.  "Having fun with sentry duty?"

            "Of course."  There was an ironic smile on Keith's face.

            "It's boring, isn't it?"

            Keith shrugged.  "It has to be done."

            "Still boring as hell," she observed.  "Say, Keith…"

            "Yes?"

            "We've never gotten to know each other well, have we?"

            "What do you mean?"

            "Well, you met Alice and Yuri and Zhuzhen a whole month before you met me."

            "I met Halley after I met you," the vampire pointed out logically.

            "Well yeah," Margarete allowed, "but what I mean is…I'd like to get to know you better.  Maybe one night, we could ditch the others and go on a nice, friendly date.  I know I'm in the mood for a night on the town.  And you've been sleeping for two centuries!  When was the last time you went on a date?"

            "…It's been a long time."  His tone had changed, and he looked off into the night, as though remembering something.  Margarete wondered if he was upset or not, or what he was thinking…but then she decided she shouldn't get analytical.  Or anal, as she liked to call it, especially when her superior was chewing her out.

            She grinned.  "Exactly!  And it's not a **romantic** date or anything."  Well, actually, she had hoped it could be.  But it seemed that with Keith, just a date would have to do.  Besides, it always **could** become romantic later…  "It just doesn't ever seem like we could have a serious talk with the others, what with Halley and Yuri always goofing off.  You know how teenagers are, and I think Yuri's stuck there permanently…"  Margarete looked at Keith to see if he was paying attention.  He wasn't looking at her, but his facial expression showed he was listening.  "So, what do you say?"

She was confident he would say yes, for two reasons.  First of all, she was sure that there was something between them, and not just friendship.  And second, Keith was just a gentleman.  He didn't seem the kind to refuse.  Besides, she'd tried to take the pressure off by saying it'd be a friendly date—though of course, the pleasant possibility that it could be more was always there.

            That's what Margarete thought.  So when Keith looked at her and said, "I'm not at all interested," she was surprised.

            It wasn't as much as what he said—okay, it did pretty much shatter her ego—but the way he said it ground the shards into the ground.  She'd never hear him talk so coldly.

She simply stood there, frozen, until he finally said, "Shouldn't you go back to sleep now?"  As if she'd been wasting his time.

            Margarete muttered a little 'oh' of embarrassment that hardly expressed how she felt—ashamed, confused, and hurt.  As she crawled back into the tent, she looked at Alice, peacefully sleeping, and felt a stab of jealousy.  By the time she went to sleep though, she had managed to convince herself that she couldn't care less about the vampire.  He could go screw himself.

**

            The following day was not nearly as pleasant as the first had been.  Zhuzhen was continuing to attempt to instruct Yuri, but Yuri was now distracted by—whatever the hell was going on with Margarete and Keith.  Margarete had pointedly ignored him throughout breakfast, while Keith was trying to act like everything was normal, which it obviously wasn't.  Yuri remembered that Keith had seemed a little upset when he'd woken him up for his shift, so something must have happened.  A fight, obviously.  But they always got into arguments, and they were always over it in at most fifteen minutes.

            "Are you paying attention?" Zhuzhen asked for the third time.

            "Huh?"

            Zhuzhen shook his head.  "Forget it."  That was the end of the lessons.

            It wasn't just Yuri who had noticed.  Alice and Halley also looked concerned, although Halley was getting more and more annoyed with their behavior.  They were acting like Sharon and Joshua might after Joshua broke one of Sharon's toys—Sharon would ignore Joshua while Joshua tried to make up for his mistake without actually admitting he had made one.  Realizing that the adults' behavior was comparable to the children's was never exactly reassuring.

            _I hope we just get there quickly…_

            They did get there sooner then expected, probably because of the lack of talking.  Keith breathed an audible sigh of relief as he entered the castle.

            "All right…hey, Keith?"

            "Yes?"

            "I just realized something.  There's only eight other coffins," Yuri said.  "Are they the only members of the clan?"

            Keith nodded.  "There are only nine of us…and…we'll be waking them up.  But please don't disturb Maria's coffin."

            "Why not?"

            "Just don't.  She went to sleep two hundred years ago…she will wake when she chooses to."

            "Hey…Didn't you go to sleep around the same time?"

            There was a wan smile on Keith's lips.  "Yes.  I did." He stole a glance at Margarete, but she was fully involved in a conversation with Zhuzhen.  Then he shook his head ruefully.  "Let's go."

**

            One by one, the other vampires were woken up.  Maria's coffin was left alone, as Keith had asked, and some of the other vampires glanced at it, but nothing was said about it.

            "I'm glad to see you have Tyrving back," Stephen said first.  He was rather like his son, but he had brown hair instead of blond and looked sterner.  It was bizarre though, because he looked like he wasn't any older than Keith was.

            Keith looked down at the sword and replied, "Yes.  I do."

            "And who are these people?" he asked, casting his eyes about the motley group.

            "My companions.  Halley, Zhuzhen, Alice, Yuri, and Margarete."

            "I see…now, why did you wake all of us up?" Stephen asked.  "I assume this must be something important."  His tone made it clear that it had better be.

            "Father, you've taught me about the other clans, but I still don't know very much.  Even about our own clan.  And one of my companions…in fact, all of us have recently come into contact with one of the rulers," he said.  Perhaps it would not be best to single Yuri out.  Besides, it was true that they had all met her, in the ruins.

            All of the vampires seemed to become more interested now.  There had been some small chat as people tried to figure out how many years they'd been sleeping by looking around the castle and at Keith's companions, but now they were all looking at Keith.  "One of its rulers?  Are you sure?  Which one?"

            Keith was bombarded with the questions from all sides.  "Yes, we are sure it is one of them.  To be specific, we are sure it is Regina."

            And this hushed the questions.  Keith's father seemed upset.  "You are sure."  His son nodded.  "What have you been doing that she is now interested in you?"

            "Father, it is one of my companions that she is interested in.  And on his part, this has been absolutely unexpected."

            "So you want to know more about Regina?"

            Keith nodded.

            "Hm.  As you already know, Regina is the ruler of the Fire clan."  His father looked at Keith and said, "You know, how about you just ask me what you need to know?  It would be a lot quicker."

            "Yes…why is she imprisoned?"

            "She was imprisoned by a Light class during the war between the clans.  The clans have often fought before, but that war was the worst.  It was called the Elemental War."

            "Elemental War?" Alice echoed.

            "It was called that because in previous wars, the Elemental clans—fire, water, earth, and wind—had always been on the Darkness clan's side.  But in this war, clans were free to fight for any side they chose."  Stephen was silent for a moment.  "Our clan was so badly divided about which side we would fight for—so many of our people died fighting each other that eventually we decided that we could not take part on either's side.  We decided to be neutral, and came here, to this castle.  Although some insisted on staying to fight the war."

            "Why did they always help the Darkness clan?" Margarete asked, finally getting curious.

            "The Darkness clan once ruled over the elemental clans."

            "But why?"

            "It used to be that there were no clans, no classes.  If you were to classify a person by our standards, they would be a Light class.  All were ruled by God."

            "The one we destroyed?" Zhuzhen asked.

            Stephen had a curious smile.  "There is only one.  You could not have destroyed him."

            "Regina said the same thing," Yuri said, startled.  Stephen looked at him and his eyes narrowed.

            "So…you are the one Regina wants?"  Stephen shook his head.  "I should warn you, she usually gets what she wants."

            "Yeah, well, she'll find it a little hard to get to me.  Now what about this story of yours?"

            "Hmph."  Stephen snorted.  "The details are of no importance.  Simply put, the first ruler of Darkness found a considerable source of power.  He then shared it with four others, in which it took the form of each element—but with one condition they were unaware of.  If he chose, they would be forced to serve him and his bloodline, through a successor called the Overlord.  I think that was the first case of 'selling your soul to the devil'."

            "Devil?" Alice asked.

            "His name was Lucifer."

            "So then, why didn't they serve them in this war?"

            "The Overlord could only be a firstborn.  For some reason, later children did not have the ability to control those of the elemental clans.  In the case of twins, both had the ability, and eventually it came to be that when twins were born the less favorable one was immediately taken and killed to prevent civil war later."

            Next to Yuri, Alice shuddered.  He had to agree, it seemed pretty ruthless.

            "There are other ways for one to become the Overlord, but they were complext rituals, rarely used unless necessary.  Eventually, the Overlord came to actually be a woman, a summoner named Nis.  She was…not the most mentally stable ruler."  Stephen's expression became bitter.  "She caused the deaths of many who she called traitors, even though everyone else knew that they were innocent, because of her paranoia.  The elemental clans wished to be rid of her, but could do nothing about because they were unable to act against the Overlord, and the Darkness clan kept her because they loved the power over the other clans.  Those were the most terrible times."  Yuri realized that he must have been alive during then.  He wondered who had died that he was so angry.  "And then, it finally ended."

            "She was killed?"

            "She became pregnant.  No one knew who the father was or when she had become pregnant, but she was about to give birth to an heir.  Everyone hoped that it would be a sane heir."  Stephen's face had a crooked smile.  "Imagine what they must have thought.

            "You see, something went wrong in childbirth, and Nis bled to death from the womb.  Her clan hoped to save the heir and save their position, and they tried to rescue the child."  Still, there was that disturbing smile on Stephen's face, a smile of bittersweet revenge.  "Imagine their horror when they found an infant monster in her womb.  Imagine their shock when they saw it change back into a normal human baby, crying and screaming."

            _What?  Changed…?  He's describing a Harmonixer, _Yuri thought.  But…he'd never thought something like that could happen…when it was just a baby…?

            "They realized that the baby, as a monster, had killed its mother from the inside with its claws.  And they realized who the father was.  It was actually rather simple by then.  She was a summoner.  An insane summoner.  She had simply summoned a monster and…committed an act of bestiality with it.  It might sound impossible for a baby to be born from it, but many strange things have happened as a result of the power in our blood, the power that was stolen from God."

            _A baby?  Born of…  How can he simply say it like that, so calmly?  _Yuri looked around and saw the looks of disgust, the horror.  Had they even realized what else it meant?

            The child he was describing was a Harmonixer…the ability to fuse was passed through the bloodline…he couldn't be, couldn't have been…

            The whispers again.  They knew, the fusion souls knew.  They were giggling and laughing.

            _Upset?_

_            Why…you've always been called a monster…a demon…_

_            Why should it hurt that you actually are?_

"…That child was later banished.  Even the clan of Darkness had decided that he was useless to them…"

            _Useless…_

_            Do you remember how that used to feel…?_

["…But really, you're just a soulless beast…"]

            _How right she was…it would have been better for everyone had you just been killed the moment you were born…drowned in a river, perhaps…_

"As an adult, he started a war to take back what he believed was rightfully his, aided by Regina."

            "No…"

            Alice looked up, hearing Yuri's whisper.  "Yuri?  Are you feeling alright?" she said.  He didn't look well.  He looked at her and she gasped.  His eyes had turned darker, to an almost complete black, and they looked frightened.  "Yuri…?"

            "I didn't…I swear I didn't…"  He started backing away from them all, towards the stairs.  Again he could see the corpses, hear the accusations…they were all looking at him, with those hateful stares…

            Everyone looked at him in concern.  What was wrong with him?  He was talking gibberish.  He looked afraid, but they couldn't see anything.  "Kiddo, is this some kind of joke-"

            "GET AWAY FROM ME!" he yelled, and then he turned and ran out of the room, chased by something only he could see.


	15. Return of the Fox

**Disclaimer:**  Je suis triste…Je n'ai pas Shadow Hearts.

Yuri: …you know, that's probably not right, seeing as how bad you are in French.

Well, fine.  I'm sad.  I don't own Shadow Hearts.  Are you happy, Yuri?  ::muttermutter::  ::cursecurse::

Yuri: ::rolls eyes::

**

**Author's Note:**  Check out last chapter's Keith/Margarete scene.  It has changed, hopefully to be more in-character for Margarete, and the changes **will** affect another scene.

**

            Regina sat patiently as Persephone braided her hair.  Although she didn't much like this activity, Persephone seemed to love it, so it was done every so often.  Still, she seemed to be going very slowly today.

            "Are you almost done, girl?"  The 'girl' slipped out thoughtlessly; she was running low on patience.  It never had been her forte.

            "Almost, Regina."

            Her words sounded as though she was distracted, and Regina realized that something was wrong with the summoner.  "You didn't have that dream again, did you?"

            "What dream?"  She knew there was a dream they'd been discussing earlier, and it must have been her own; but she couldn't remember what it was about.

            "Never mind, Persephone.  But is anything wrong?"

            Persephone paused in braiding the silky red hair.  "Hyuga…his souls…they seem to be stirred up somehow.  I'm not sure."

            "Have you checked it out?"

            "No, it was just now…"

            "Check."  Regina turned towards Persephone, the braiding over.  If something had happened with Hyuga now, perhaps…

            Persephone's face was still for a moment, and then she shuddered.  Her eyes grew wide and frightened.  "Persephone?" Regina said, bewildered by the change.

            "Oh God…the monsters…they're…no!" she screamed the last word, and Regina grabbed her shoulders.

            "Calm down, Persephone.  What's wrong?"

            "The people…where's…"

            "No."  She had to get the girl focused.  Regina held her tightly and looked her in the eyes, making sure she had her attention.  "Hyuga."

            Persephone only looked at her with wide eyes, like she didn't understand the request.  Then she closed her eyes.  Painfully, she squeezed the words out.  "His…souls, they're trying to…destroy him…"

            Regina shook her head as Persephone collapsed against her, breathing hard.  No.  Why had this happened?  She called out for someone to come immediately, panicking.

            Syth was the first to come.  "Milady, what…Persephone!"

            "Hyuga's fusion souls are trying to rebel against him.  She's being affected through the link," she explained quickly.

            "Then we have to sever the link—"

            "No!  The only way to help him is through her link!"

            "But…yes, Regina."

**

            "Yuri!"  Alice yelled.  The Harmonixer was already running up the stairs and Alice looked at the others, confused.  "Something—I think something's wrong with him!  I'm going to see!"  She started running up the stairs as well.

            "I'll help!  C'mon Halley," Margarete said, following Alice.

            "What should we do?" Keith asked.

            "Figure out what else you think we should know!" she yelled down the stairs.  They didn't need all of them to chase Yuri.  Besides, Zhuzhen wouldn't be any help, and it didn't make sense to just leave him with the clan alone, when Keith was the best to talk with them.  "Halley, wait up!"  She chased after the young London Rat, cursing as she stumbled on one of the top steps.

            Halley was starting to catch up with Alice, but neither of them could catch up with Yuri.  He ran at a dead sprint, his eyes wildly searching for somewhere, anywhere he could go to get away from the corpses.  But where…where…?

            "He's-he's going up in the tower!" Alice panted as he pulled open the door and ran through.  Luckily, opening the door had slowed him down, and now they were a little closer to him than they'd been before.  Halley began to pull ahead of Alice.  "Yuri, stop!"

            He didn't even slow down as he stormed up the stairs.  He could feel something of Darkness—something that might protect him, and drive them away.

            Then, a light brush told him that one of the corpses was too close to him.  He turned around, and without any hesitation, kicked it.

            Halley was totally unprepared for the kick.  For a split second, he saw Yuri's eyes when he turned—and felt a wave of fear that he couldn't explain.  Then there was a sharp pain and his neck snapped back.  His whole body followed down the stairs.

            "Halley!  Are you alright?"

            Alice stopped, looking at Margarete, who had caught Halley and stopped his fall.  The spy looked impatiently at her friend.  "Go ahead and catch up with Yuri!  Just stay on guard."  Alice nodded and then ran up the stairs again.  Margarete looked at Halley.  He seemed dazed, but he wasn't hurt too badly, so he shouldn't have been…  "Hey, Halley!  C'mon kid, you're fine.  Bloody nose, but that's all."

            He still didn't respond.  Margarete swore and then slapped him.  "Come **on**!"

            This had some effect; Halley stirred and looked at Margarete.  "Oh.  Not heaven, then."

            Margarete rolled her eyes.  "You thought you were going to die from one kick?"

            "No.  I **was** dead."  He got up on two shaky legs and then started running up the stairs.  Margarete wondered what the hell he was going on about, then gave a start when Halley suddenly fell.

            "Hey kid!  That kick didn't scramble your brains or something, did it?"  Margarete put her hands on his shoulders.  "Kid, you're shaking like crazy—"

            Halley ignored her and began to sprint towards Alice and Yuri.  At the same time, he had to suppress an urge to turn around and run the other way, a part of himself that told him it was much wiser to stay away from any Harmonixer.  Margarete stared at him and then remembered to follow.

**

            "No," Yuri said.  "No, no…stay away…"

            The longer Alice stood in the doorway, the more he backed away from her, towards the circular wall.  "Yuri, it's me," she pleaded.  "Don't you recognize me?"  She didn't dare come any closer, or else he might attack her in his panic.  But still, she wanted to embrace him, reassure him that there was no reason to be afraid.  "It's me, Alice."

            "Alice…"  He shook his head again, that repetitive gesture of denial.  "I didn't do it…right…?"

            "What didn't you do?" she asked.

            "But then…how did you…"

            _He's not making any sense._  "Yuri, you didn't do anything bad.  I'm fine…see?"  She took a few cautious steps towards him, but it still caused an outburst.

            "Don't come any closer!"

            She stopped again.  The plain fear on his face…this wasn't natural.  The only time she'd seen this before was on Father Doyle's visage, because he'd sold her and her father to Albert Simon.  The fear and guilt that came from having a hand in someone's death.  But why would Yuri be so afraid?

            Father Doyle had thought she hadn't been herself though, that she had been taken by the devil.  Maybe Yuri thought the same thing…

            "Look at me, Yuri.  You know it's me.  I'm fine."

            "Fine?  You're…dead…"

            She froze.  Dead?  What on earth was he talking about?  Alice stepped closer, this time ignoring his yells at her to go away.  He had to be hallucinating, but if she could just convince him that she was alive…

            He stopped yelling.  It was obvious now that the corpse would not leave him alone, no matter what he said.  He looked around him…behind him was the grave, open to accept him.  Nowhere to run.  She seemed to be gloating over this fact as she approached.  Left with no other options, Yuri put up his fists, ready to fight.

            This stopped Alice.  She couldn't fight him, even if he was hallucinating.  There had to be something else she could do.

            "Alice!"

            She turned and saw Halley and Margarete at the doorway.  Halley was a mess, with his nose still bleeding, but he ignored that.  "Let me try something first."

            She nodded.  As long as it could prevent a fight, she was fine with it.

            Shit.  Yuri backed up more, seeing Margarete and Halley join Alice.  It'd be hard enough against one person, but three?  It was impossible.

            Yuri, calm down.

            For a minute, he looked at the corpse suspiciously.  Why was he using his telepathy?  But as the voice continued, he began to realize that it was coming from Halley…who was alive.  He slowly became aware that the corpses weren't real, that the people standing in front of him…all of them…were alive.

**

            Persephone could also hear the voice.  In her feverish state, she could hear many voices, some panicked, some screaming in pain, but this one was beautifully calm.  It spoke to another, not her, but still, it was enough to listen.

            "Pers?"

            She looked up at Kain, her vision slowly coming into focus on his dark blue eyes.  "Wher…Regina…?"

            He sighed and then spoke to Regina, who was talking to Pan.  "Hyuga must be getting better.   She's…"  Then he turned back as Persephone cried out and knew he'd been wrong.

**

            "Good job, Halley," Margarete said, seeing Yuri slowly put his fists down.

            Alice began stepping forward again, feeling relieved when Yuri didn't panic.  He seemed puzzled though.  "Yuri, is anything wrong?"

            "Alice?  What-what happened?"

            "It's alright.  You were just hallucinating, I think."

            A hallucination?  Then the corpses had never been there…it was just a dream, didn't he remember that?  Just a nightmare…nothing real…  "Everyone's fine?"

            "Everyone's alive.  You've done nothing wrong."

            He hadn't done anything to them.  They were all alive.  Yuri leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, reassured that nothing was wrong.

            _Nothing?  Haven't you seen them?_

_            They're dead!_

 Yuri's eyes flew open.  He was back in the Graveyard, the three corpses again swarming around him.  No.  This was just a hallucination.

            _You wish it was.  You wish it wasn't real._

_            But you are responsible for all of their deaths._

They weren't dead though!  He'd just seen them…

            _And what if that was the hallucination?_

"Yuri?"  Alice shook him, trying to snap him out of it.  He'd just fallen onto his knees suddenly.  "Yuri, what's wrong?!"

            He didn't look at her, instead staring at the ground.  "The fusion souls—But they're just monsters—"

            _Just monsters?_

_            Look who's talking—the son of one!_

_            You're worse than we are…_

_            …For your very birth was sin._

"Shut up!  Shut up, shut the hell up!"

            "Yuri!"

            "Halley, can't you do anything?"

            "I'm trying!"

            "Yuri, don't listen to them.  Just shut them out, alright?"

            "I…can't…"

            Alice held her hand on his forehead and began casting a healing spell.  She had no idea if it would do any good, but he was in such agony…she had to try **something**…

            "Ally…"  Alice looked at Yuri, who leaned against her.  "Ally and foe…Hypocrite and guardian…Traitor…"  He shivered.

            "Oh god, he's starting to babble, isn't he?" Margarete pointed out, coming over to them.  "Kiddo, you do realize you're not making any sense, right?"  Although she tried to hide it, everyone could hear the concern in her voice, except for Yuri.  He was too lost, his consciousness returning to the Graveyard.  Suddenly his head fell forward and his body became limp.  He'd fainted.

            Then Alice felt his body getting hotter against hers.  Startled, she gently put him on his back and saw a red glow from his chest, so bright she could see it through his shirt.  Was the Flare Brooch doing something to him?

**

            "Are you going to destroy the corpses?" Kain asked.

            Regina shook her head.  "That's not wise."

            "Why not?" Syth asked.  He glanced at Persephone, who was now sleeping.  Occasionally she murmured odd things that told him she was having the dream again.

            "The corpses are made from the fusion souls.  Destroying them might destroy the souls."

            "Wouldn't that be best then?" Syth said.  "They're trying to destroy him.  And, he would still have the other two fusion souls, which are the strongest."

            "No.  Depending on his reaction, the situation might become much worse.  I'm going to lead him to a safe point in the Graveyard."

            "A safe place?  Where?"

            "Shut up and let me concentrate!" she snapped at Syth, and then closed her eyes.

**

            Alice was the first to attack.  None of the corpses had weapons, so Yuri didn't have to worry about physical attacks, but he quickly figured out being dead hadn't affected their magic.  He barely avoided her Blessed Light before being attacked by Halley's Air Shot.  He was blown backwards, yet somehow stopped himself from falling into the grave.

            _Hyuga, follow me._

            "Regina?"

            Alice frowned.  "Regina?  So, you've taken her side already."

            Yuri shook his head.  "I haven't done anything like that!  But you're…you're definitely not Alice!"

            A small fire appeared in the air above.  It might have been because of Regina's animosity of Alice, or it might have been some other reason, but she was the one attacked first.  It rushed at all three of the corpses, not enough to seriously harm them, but enough to make them retreat and clear a path for Yuri to run through.  Grateful for the help, Yuri did follow the fire as it went towards the cluster of Earth, Fire, and Water.  He almost panicked when he saw both Zhuzhen and Keith ready to attack, but understood as he saw the Gate of Self.  He pushed it open and the flame consumed itself, having done its job.

            He closed them, watching the corpses slam up against it and then try to reach in.  He easily stepped out of their reach and sighed.  He was safe here.  They couldn't open the gate.  Only the masks could, and they probably wouldn't…if they did, he would give them one last beating before he died.

            Alice stepped forward as the others slunk away, looking back and scowling.  She smiled sweetly.  "You think you're safe?"  Her remaining eye seemed to flash as she whispered, "Look behind you."

            He turned and then swore, realizing he'd left himself wide open to a magical attack.  But when he looked back, she was gone.  He could only stare at the place where she'd once been.

            Then, hearing a growl from behind, Yuri realized Alice's warning might not have been a trick.  He turned again and saw a large fox crouching near the familiar tree.  The fox growled again as it approached, its tails swishing against the ground.

            What on earth was a fox doing here?  The fox definitely wasn't a normal fox—it had at least four tails—a kitsune?  Even then, it shouldn't have been able to get in here…

            Yuri pushed the questions aside and put up his fists.  He'd had enough of being attacked today.

            "No!  Stop!"

            The fox's head swung towards the voice, his ears perking.  A small boy dropped out of the tree and embraced the fox while glaring at Yuri.  "Stop it!"

            His piercing eyes, bright and at the same time dark, startled Yuri.  Then he shook his head.  "What are you talking about?  That fox was growling.  It was going to attack me."

            As he spoke, the fox began snarling.  He looked at it and then realized that the fox's eyes were very familiar.  They were his own.

            "Fox…Face?"  Yuri shook his head and laughed.  This was unbelievable.  "What, now you're a real fox?"

            The fox growled and suddenly Yuri found himself on his back with the animal eyeing his throat.  His reaction was to punch him and then throw the fox off of him.

            "Stop it!  Stop hurting him!"

            The Harmonixer stared at the little boy.  He was only about eight, but still…  "What's wrong with you?  **He** attacked me!"

            "Only because you rejected him again!"  His small hands clenched into fists as he stood between the two.  The tension in his muscles was visible.  Then his expression began to soften.  He lowered his fists.  "You…you wouldn't know though.  You've never been rejected.  You've never known what it's like to be treated…like you're just some dumb beast, like you don't deserve…to even exist…"  The boy wiped at his face with his sleeve.

            "Well…he's not really supposed to…"  The fox was not at all pleased with this and voiced his disagreement with a bark.  Yuri glared at him.  "…Besides, I thought I **did** accept him.  So why's he here?  And who are **you**, anyway?"  
            "I'm no one.  No one of importance.  And you did accept him, but…"  He turned to look at the fox as it got up.  "I suppose you learned about your lineage."

            "How'd you know…"

            "Fox Face is a personality composed of the parts of yourself you reject.  He's a kitsune right now."  Yuri looked at him in surprise; he had stopped talking like a child and now, like an adult.  "You've rejected that you could be a monster.  You're repulsed by the very idea.  So not only has Fox Face been revived, he's been changed to accept what you rejected.  To accept that he is…and you are…a monster."

            "No I'm not!" He snapped.

            The fox started to charge at him but the boy grabbed the fox, trying to hold him, screaming, "Stop it!  This won't help anyone!  Please Yuri, he has to stay alive!"

            Yuri tensed, but it seemed like the fox was slowly calming down, although it continued to give him a murderous glare.  When it seemed like he wouldn't try attacking again, Yuri spoke.  "…Yuri?"

            "He's Yuri, just as you are.  You're both Yuri.  Haven't you learned that by now?"  He paused to whisper in a soothing voice to Fox Face, while stroking the dark brown fur.  "But instead you called him by that false name.  What if he gave you a false name?"  He stopped again and pressed his face against the fur, as if listening, and then laughed.  "I like that name.  It suits him."

            "What was it."  Yuri's bet was on something like 'idiot', or something equally degrading.

            So he was surprised when the soft reply was, "Ego."

            "Ego?"

            "Yes.  Now go away."  His voice became harsh.  "You have no place here."

            The gates suddenly opened, and Yuri looked out of them, unmoving.  "They're waiting for me out there."

            "No they aren't.  They'll rest now."

            "How do you—"  Yuri's question was broken off by Fox Face's snarl and the boy's glare.  "Fine then!  I'm going."

            He walked out of the gate and saw it close behind him.  But looking around, all the graves appeared to be undisturbed.  The boy had been right, it seemed.

            _Who was he, anyway?_

**

            Yuri felt two arms beneath him, and he kept moving up and down.  "I'm awake, put me down."

            "Are you sure you can walk?"

            "Dammit, put me down Keith."

            As per his rather rude request, Yuri was lowered onto the ground by the vampire.  In the darkness, he could make out that they were in the forest, and the others were there as well.

            "Are you sure you're alright?" Alice asked.

            "Sure."

            "…Try to walk."

            He got up shakily made two strides before he had to lean against a tree.  His legs felt weak.  His whole body felt weak.  "What the hell…"

            "Well, from what we can tell, the Flare Brooch did help you," Margarete said.  "But it probably took some of your own energy to do that."

            "Let's just rest here then," Alice said.  "Halley, want to help me set up the tents?"

            Halley shrugged.  "Sure."

            "Oh, great," Yuri complained.  "Helps me out but sucks me dry…feels like…"  He trailed off as he saw Halley's face, still covered with dried blood.  "What happened to you, Halley?"

            "You kicked me and broke my nose," he said simply.

            "I did…"  Oh.  He did remember doing that, when he'd thought they were zombies.  "…Sorry."

            "At least it healed fast, but I guess it's still showing then."  He grabbed his canteen and poured it out over him, letting the water wash the blood away.

            "I'll get a fire going," Zhuzhen said.

            "Eh, I'll just go to sleep," Yuri said, and sat down against the tree to sleep.

**

            Persephone walked through the hallways of the tower, searching for Regina.  She'd seen her an hour ago, and was wondering where she had gone.  Instead of finding her though, she ran into Syth.  He looked her over.

            "How do you feel?"

            "…I feel alright," Persephone said.  "Where's Regina?"

            "Talking with Pan.  They're trying to figure out why Hyuga's souls tried to rebel.  Why are you looking for her?"

            Why does he want to know? she wondered.  "I wanted to ask her if I should keep the link with Hyuga open."

            "Well, you'll have to wait.  It seems like they'll be a while."  She looked down at the floor, disappointed.  "Persephone, when you were asleep, did you dream?"

            She looked up at him in surprise.  What an odd question.  "I think I did…but I don't remember what it was about.  Why?"

            "It's nothing important."

            "Fine, then…"  Persephone turned and walked back to her room, knowing she couldn't intrude on Regina and Pan's meeting.

            Syth shook his head and sighed.

            "Why did you even try asking?"

            He glared at a blank space of wall.  "Kain, if Regina ever catches you eavesdropping like that, you'll get quite a lashing."

            "Hey, give me credit.  I'm not stupid enough to try eavesdropping on her."  The illusionist dropped the disguise, smirking at his friend.  "So…you were quite worried about her, weren't you?"

            "Shut up," Syth hissed.  "She's not even of age."

            "But what if her father's blood doesn't take in her?  Then she'll be good for only a few years.  Might as well have her now."

            "Kain!"

            "Fine, fine.  But why don't you at least try?  She will be of age in only four years.  What then?"

            "Then…nothing."  Syth shrugged.  "Didn't you just hear her?  The only person she cares about is Regina.  There's nothing I can do to change that."

            Kain shook his head.  "You were always into the odd ones.  And the hopeless ones.  And the—"

            "Kain."

            "Shutting up."


	16. The Minor Character chapter

**Disclaimer:**  Shadow Hearts.  Do not own.  Characters.  Do not own.  Well, except for all the evil and not-so-evil people so far…

**

**Author's Note:**  ::sigh::  Another K/M scene.  Feel free to flame if out-of-character (although, I don't think they are this time…except maybe M…)

**

            "You still haven't answered my question," Kain said abruptly, stopping Syth in mid-stride.  "Why ask?  You knew she wouldn't remember."

            Syth was silent for a moment.  He **had** known, but still, there was a hope…  "Regina has to let her remember sometime."

            "So she can have another breakdown?  I would think that you wouldn't want that."

            They turned another step, and went up the spiraling stairs to their quarters.  Luckily, the servants' quarters were placed far above Regina's; it'd be unbearable otherwise, too hot to possibly get a good night's rest.

            "…She could get through that though.  And as it is now, it's only holding her back."

            Kain shook his head.  "True, maybe.  But it'd take too long.  Besides, you should know.  Which does Regina hold higher:  Hyuga or Pers?"

            Syth didn't even bother answering that question.  Hyuga was Regina's first priority, especially recently.  Everything else was a distant second.

            They reached their room and he opened the door.  Like all the other quarters, it was rather spacious—although they were actually meant to room four, not two.  Almost all the clans had about five hundred servants, along with up to a hundred members of the clan.  Here, they had only about fifty servants, and just one member of the clan.

            "Maybe after this is over," Kain said, trying to reassure his friend.  "Talk to Regina about this after we've gotten Hyuga."

            Syth nodded, but he wondered, _What will happen once we get him?_

**

            The fire was still roaring brightly, even though the others had gone to sleep.  Halley and Zhuzhen were supposed to have watch tonight, and even though Margarete and Alice had both volunteered to take over for Halley, he'd insisted he was fine.

            Really, he didn't feel good at all.  But it would have been useless to try and sleep.

            A log cracked in the fire, momentarily brightening the dark woods.  These woods were full of wolves, but Halley couldn't see any among the dark silhouettes of trees.  The night was dead silent, just like it'd been…

            He could see it, replaying in his head, exactly as it had when Yuri had kicked him down the stairs.  Halley could see himself walking through a dark hallway, in the secrecy of night, feel the heat that still came through the floor.

            The teenager shivered, feeling the contrast between the cold reality and warm illusion.  In his thoughts, he continued walking, stopping in front of a door.  He tapped on the door twice.  He suddenly turned and peered into the shadows of the hallway; Halley could have sworn he heard a noise.  There was a slight edge of fear in all of movements, a constant reminder to stay on his guard.  Seeing nothing, Halley turned back to the door and tapped again, even softer than before.

            Halley shifted his weight from one leg to another, waiting.  He was bored, and allowed more of his thoughts to go to the vision, trying to make sense of it.  Once again, he tapped, a bit louder, more impatient.

            His answer was a hard punch to the head.  He fell to the ground, his head spinning as he wildly looked around for his attacker.  It was impossible though, he couldn't see anything at all.  The shadows had turned into a pitch-black darkness.

            Still, the aura was easy to make out.  One of the Darkness, a very strong one.

            "Hyuga?!"

            There was no reply from the other person.  Instead he could feel himself being lifted up into the air.  The fear became stronger, adrenaline for his counterattack.

            "**Tornado Wind**!"

            The spell was both offensive and defensive.  He was now standing in the eye of a raging tornado, and anyone who was near him would be flung back by the wind.  He heard a person hit the opposite wall, but they said nothing, only laughed softly.  Halley felt a chill go through his body.

            "What are you laughing at?" he demanded, making his voice loud enough to be heard over the wind.  He suddenly heard a growl and looked around, forgetting it was useless.

            Hundreds of rocks struck him, making him cry out in pain and surprise.  The tornado died out, leaving him open to attack.  His opponent took advantage with quick, effective punches and kicks.  Any attempt to fight back was useless, since he couldn't even see his attacker.

            Finally he collapsed facedown, bruised all over.  The darkness faded as light reentered the hall, and he could see a red glow on the floor next to him.

            "Hmph.  One down."  Halley recognized it as Yuri's voice, although there was a strange tone in it.  "Now to kill that damn hypocrite.  Oh…that's right, I almost forgot…the guardian…"  There was a soft sigh.  "No grudges, but it's got to be done…"  He began walking away from the boy.

            "Wait," Halley said, pushing himself off of the ground.  "Why…?"

            Yuri stopped and looked back at him.  "You can still stand?"

            "Hypocrite…you mean Sarah, don't you?  You said you were going to make peace.  If this is just another chance to fight her, then…I won't let you," Halley said, although he wasn't sure if he could really stop Yuri.

            Yuri looked at him, and then shook his head in disbelief.  "And here I wanted to let you live.  You should've just laid still and shut up."  He held his hand up and black wisps began to emerge from it, once again filling the hallway with darkness.

            "**Torna**-"  Halley was silenced by the hand that clamped over his mouth.  Yuri's grip was tight on him, with no way to get out.

            "Goodbye, friend."  The soft whisper in his ear, a thrill of fear, and then, a sudden twist and _SNAP—_

Halley shuddered and rubbed his neck, feeling it ache.  It made no sense to him at all.  Had he just imagined it, or had it actually happened?  But it couldn't have…a broken neck meant you were dead, healing or no.  And yet it seemed so real…

            He was so distracted that he failed to notice the flashes of brown amongst the trees.  Zhuzhen, watching the other side, could not have possibly seen.

            A snap of twigs caught Halley's attention, but it was much too late.  A large animal leapt up and with its two front paws pressed on Halley's chest.  There was so much force behind it that Halley fell back with the large beast on top of him.

            "Halley!" Zhuzhen shouted.

            Halley was absolutely frozen.  He could feel the jaws on his neck, each incisor, ready to tear through his throat.  Then he heard a deep chuckle as the beast loosened his grip and looked at him.

            "Careless.  Look alive, boy—and maybe next time you will be."

            As he listened to the voice, Halley's eyes widened.  "Yuri?"

            The fox was struck against the head by Zhuzhen's staff.  It snarled and grabbed the staff in its jaws, wrenching it out of the Adept's hand and tossing it down to the ground.  Then it scampered off into the shadows, allowing Halley and Zhuzhen a view of its seven tails.

            "Are you injured, Halley?"  Zhuzhen frowned as he saw the markings on Halley's neck.  The teeth had pressed against the kid's neck so hard there were indents in his skin.  Yet there wasn't any blood.

            "I think so…" Halley said uncertainly; he didn't have any injuries, but his heart was pounding in his chest.  God, that'd scared him out of his mind.  First the dream, now…whatever **that** had been.  He rubbed his neck, feeling the indents, then stood and marched to their tent, pulling the flaps open.  Both Keith and Yuri were sleeping.  But…that voice had sounded so much like Yuri's…

            "What's wrong?" Zhuzhen asked.

            Halley stared at the sleeping Harmonixer for a moment before shaking his head and going back out to watch.  This time, both of them were wide-awake and alert.

**

            Yuri woke up slowly, stretching and yawning.  That must have been the best night's sleep he'd gotten in a week—he had been too tired to have any dreams.  Maybe just a few more minutes…

            The smell of eggs and ham made him open his eyes again.  Breakfast.  The last time he had eaten was at lunch yesterday, his stomach impatiently reminded him.  It wanted breakfast.

            Yuri sat up, noting with surprise that Keith's place was empty.  Usually the vampire was the **last** person to wake up.  He must have slept for a long time.

            Outside, he could hear the voices of the others.  It sounded like everyone was awake.  Yuri yawned and stretched, then got up and walked outside—he was still fully dressed from last night.

            Alice was serving everyone breakfast, finishing with a plate to Yuri when she caught sight of him.  "Sleep well?" she asked.

            "Yeah."

            "God, Keith, why didn't you ask?" Margarete demanded.  "Could've saved us some time."

            Keith sighed, feeling his nerves fraying.  "Because that's when Alice came back and told us about Yuri—good morning," he said, noticing the new arrival.

            "Asked about what?" Yuri asked, feeling curious.

            "Well, we figured out where the clans are."

            "And?"

            "They're not even on this planet."

            Yuri stared at him.  "Okaaay…where else **could** they be?"

            Keith leaned back.  Why hadn't anyone told him about this before?  Then again, Leon, Maria, and he were the only ones who had been born since the clan had come to this planet.  Perhaps the others felt like it wasn't important—or maybe they hadn't wanted them to know.  Besides, he'd never felt like it was something he should ask about.  There had always seemed to be a certain taboo before.  The only reason he'd asked now was because it was urgent.

            "They're on another world, Yuri.  Or…you could say they're on a different version of **this** world.  It's hard to say.  From what it sounded like…Kind of like your Graveyard in that it's a spiritual world, but it's one the size of Earth."

            "Is there any way to get there?" Yuri asked, mouth full of eggs.

            "He doesn't know, since he didn't think to ask," Margarete explained.  This was the second day that she'd been mad at Keith, and everyone knew by now that Keith had done something bad—although what, they didn't know.  Keith only gave a little sigh, apparently giving up on civil conversation with the spy.

            "Alice told us you were unconscious, and we decided that it might be better if you rested in the village—although you woke earlier and were decidedly against being carried, so that was impossible."

            Yuri snorted.  "I don't need to rest.  I'm perfectly fine.  A little sleep was all I needed."

            "Kiddo, you slept for fifteen hours, not counting when you woke up while we set camp," Margarete said.  "That wasn't a little."

            Yuri looked surprised.  "Really?"  That had been a deep sleep.

            "It's almost ten right now.  We got at the castle about six, six thirty, and you had your little episode at seven…What was **that** about, anyway?"

            That was a good question.  What had it been about?  It'd started out close to the original dream, but with reality mixed in, to judge by how he'd given Halley a bloody nose yesterday.  Then Regina had helped him—but she had **given** him the dream in the first place, why would she help him out of it?—and then stupid Fox Face, and the boy…

            But maybe that part had been a dream.  After all, hadn't he accepted Fox Face?

            "If you don't want to talk about it—"

            "No, that's…that's fine," Yuri told Alice.  "I'll tell you guys.  I've been having a bad dream lately.  I'm in the Graveyard, and…you're all dead.  I don't know why, but yesterday…when Stephen told us about Nis, it just triggered something in the fusion souls, and the next thing I knew…"  he took a deep breath and looked to see the others' reactions, then continued.  "I was in the dream again."

            "All of us?" Alice asked, setting her plate down and leaning forwards, towards him.

            Yuri nodded.  All of them.  Everyone but him.

            Margarete was frowning.  "Kiddo, give us some details here.  Why were we dead?"

            He looked puzzled, then slowly shook his head, tapping his fingers.  "No, the methods…everyone died differently."

            "So how'd I die?" Yuri looked at the spy incredulously; she sighed and leaned forward.  "Humor me with a prophecy of my death."

            "That's not funny."

            Margarete ignored Keith, waiting for Yuri's response.

            "You drowned."  Yuri shrugged his shoulders, unsure of how to explain.  "I didn't **see** you die, I saw your corpses.  And yours kinda resembled Li Li."

            "Oh, great.  So why were you seeing our corpses, anyway?"

            Yuri half-heartedly stabbed at his eggs, then put his plate down and closed his eyes.  "I was in the Graveyard and I went up to the grave for the Earth fusion souls.  A hand grabbed my leg and I got out of its grip; then Keith came out of the grave.  First him, then you and Zhuzhen, then Alice and Halley."  He couldn't stop a small shiver.  "You know, like most zombies.  You were—you were saying that I killed you all.  And then, you guys killed me."

            "What?" Alice exclaimed, sounding shocked.

            "Well, the corpses pushed me into the grave of Darkness."  Yuri knew it would only upset her more to hear she had pushed him in herself.

            "Hmm."  Zhuzhen tapped his fingers along his chin as he considered what such a dream might mean.  "You said we all died differently."

            It was a morbid topic, but the others seemed curious to know more.  Alice wished they could talk about something else, but she supposed that it'd be best for Yuri if they all listened.

            "You were burned."  How badly, he could not tell.  That had been horrible.  "Keith…it looked like you were killed in a fight."  It looked like a mob had gotten him, it had been total overkill.  Yuri turned as he spoke to look at each of his friends.  "Halley, your neck was broken."

            Halley's eyes widened, and he reached up with his hand to touch his neck.  "Did I have any other injuries?"

            Yuri chewed his lip, thinking.  "Nothing fatal.  No cuts.  But you did have a few bruises."  He had seen a few purple bruises along his forearms, but they hadn't seemed nearly as important as the snapped neck.  "Why?"

            "Eh, just curious," Halley lied, trying to hide his worry.  He had a dream or vision about his death, and so had Yuri.  Yuri's account of his injuries matched what he would have expected from his dream.  He didn't even want to **think** about what that could mean.

            He could tell the others about the vision.  But…Yuri seemed upset enough as it was.  And…he had this nagging feeling, telling him it was best to stay quiet…

            "From what you've said, kid, that doesn't sound right."  Zhuzhen shook his head, still trying to figure it out.  "I was burned?  I could've easily done that myself.  And Margarete…she could've drowned herself."

            Yuri shrugged.  "I don't know.  But you said I was to blame for it."

            "What about Alice?" Keith asked.  "You didn't say anything about her."

            Yuri looked at Alice.  Her eyes were lowered to the ground, and she seemed rather uncomfortable.  "Do you want to hear about it, Alice?"

            "I suppose."

            She sounded hesitant, but she had agreed, so Yuri continued.  "The corpse…looked like some kind of monster had been at it.  And your left eye—it was gone.  Like it'd been smashed in."

            "Wait, if it was a monster, how could that be y—"

            "Fusion."

            Margarete shut up, hearing Yuri's quiet reply.  He didn't look well, a little pale in the face.  Then again, no one looked like they were exactly thrilled about this.  The person who looked calmest was Keith.  Zhuzhen looked troubled, but more like it was a puzzle to him than anything else.  And Halley…his hand moved uncertainly up and down his neck.  Alice seemed torn, like she wanted to say something but either wasn't sure how to say it or if she should say it.

            She stood up suddenly, getting the others' attention.  Her eyes were on Yuri.  "Well, kiddo, while you might think you're all big and bad, you gotta face facts.  What are the chances you could survive a fight against all five of us?"

            "The fights…they were probably separate."

            She snickered.  "Uh huh, and I drowned?  That would imply we were around water.  And I've already proved you suck with water.  You'd be the one going down, not me."  To prove it, she made a gun with her hand and then pointed it at Yuri, concentrating.  A jet of water splashed on his face.  "Bang."  She blew on the finger.

            Yuri stared at her like she was crazy.  Then suddenly, he started smiling, laughing.  He wiped the water off with his sleeve.  "You're probably right."

            Margarete looked as though she had been offended.  "Of course I'm right!  I'm Miss Spy Genius, and trust me, that dream was **only** a dream."  She turned to look at the others.  "Now.  We've got to get down to business.  We don't know how to get there yet, so we'll have to go back—do we at least know what Regina could want with Yuri?  Or how we might have met her before the reunion?"

            "Nothing about how we could have met her.  She's been imprisoned all this time, the only way we could have met her is through someone who can channel others," Zhuzhen said.  "There is that man, but I didn't recognize him at all."

            Margarete shook her head.  Only Regina had given them that déjà vu feeling—the man had not.  "So someone else channeled her?  That still leaves us in the dark."

            "About what she might want…it's possible she might want him to start another war, like his ancestor did," Zhuzhen said.  "Or at least to free her."

            "Hmm…"  It was possible, since his ancestor had started the war with Regina's help.  But, if she had been imprisoned all this time, she probably wouldn't be able to fight a war anytime soon—or would she?  It depended on what kind of warfare they had.  "Probably not on the war thing.  And wasn't she sealed into the tower?  She's got the wrong person then, no way kiddo could break a seal."  A thought occurred to her and she grinned wryly.  "Maybe she just wants _him_."

            Yuri groaned.  "Margarete…"  Halley was rolling his eyes.

            "Do you really think so?"

            The spy laughed.  "Don't worry, Alice, I'm sure you'll have him all to yourself."

            Alice blushed a furious red.  "Well, you sounded serious…"

            "Why not?"

            Margarete wheeled around and stared at Keith.  "Excuse me?" she blurted out.

            Keith shrugged.  "Why not?" he repeated.

            "She's two thousand years older than him, that's why not!  He's twenty-four-"

            "Twenty-five-"

            "My mistake-he's twenty-five!  Does that not sound a little sick, twisted, and perverted to you?!"

            The vampire shook his head.  "I've known a six-hundred-year-old to fall in love with a twenty-year-old adult mortal.  The older members of our clan did not discourage the match."

            Margarete stared at him, then sat down and held her head in her hands.  "How does that work?"

            "A person is considered eligible for marriage once they are full-grown—as a rule, when they're twenty.  And of course, since we do not age, it doesn't really matter how large the age difference is—as long as both parties are mature.  If it had been a teenager, even one about to become an adult, the match would have been protested.  It **is** considered improper for an adult to court an adolescent.  Adolescents can only be courted by other adolescents, and even then, not until they're sixteen."

            "They have to be sixteen?" Halley asked.

            Keith nodded.  "Those are the standards we go by.  At least, our clan does."

            "How did the match turn out?  The one with the vampire and mortal?" Alice asked.

            "Ah…"  Keith looked down, towards the array of twigs and leaves scattered through the campsite.  He felt a bit uncomfortable.  "They were married, and two children were born from the union."

            _"Here's little Keith.  I named him after his uncle.  Isn't he cute, brother?"_

_            "You must be happy, Maria."_

_            "Of course I am.  And you remember your favorite niece…"_

_            "Hi uncle Keith!"_

"Part of the reason the match had been encouraged was because sometimes when a mortal and immortal have a child, the blood of the immortal takes in the child, and the child is also an immortal.  And our clan is so small.  We hoped both would be immortal, especially since both were of the Earth class, not Fire, like her husband was.  But instead…"

            _"I'm…a little scared…Amelia is aging.  It's not very noticeable, but I can tell.  I just hope Keith doesn't…"_

"One of them wasn't?"

            "No…neither of them were," Keith said, his green eyes darkening.  "And the immortal…she…"__

_            "Let me go!  Let me go!  Damn you!  Let me go…I want to be with my husband…I want to be with Amelia and Keith…please, brother, let me go!"_

"Keith?"

            He reached up and brushed the tears away

            "I'm sorry, Keith, I shouldn't have asked—"  
            "No, I'm fine," he said, rising from his place.  "I'll be back soon."  He left the campsite, wanting to be alone so he could think.

            The vampire who had loved a mortal, his sister Maria.  He thought the topic would have been less painful now.  After all, it had been two centuries since she'd tried to commit suicide…

            He realized after a few minutes that he was walking back in the direction of the castle.  When he stopped and looked, he could see the tower of the castle, rising high above the other parts.  She had tried to throw herself off the tower after her son's death.  He had stopped her and she hated him for it.

            It should have faded in his memory, and he had been able to push it aside.  But it was still there, still hurt…

            Keith rested his head against the rough bark of a tree.  Perhaps it hurt worse now because of his own dilemma, because he was now…

            He was also in love with a mortal.

            There were light footsteps.  His ears caught it and he turned around, seeing Margarete.  "What?"

            She leaned against another tree.  "She was important to you, wasn't she?"

            "My sister.  The oldest of us."

            "I'm sorry."  The words sounded stilted and awkward to her.

            "She's not dead."

            Margarete shook her head quickly, then noticed he'd turned back away from her.  God!  How could she have said that?  But from what he had said, it had sounded like she'd died.  "…Maria, right?  The one you didn't want us to wake up?"

            "Father put her under a sleeping spell…right after she tried to kill herself.  No one has woken her since."  He took a few steps towards the castle and then sat down.  "She named her son after me.  She always said she would."

            Margarete was silent, trying not to interrupt him at all.

            "She was a friend, sister, and mother to me.  My brother was supposed to be the next ruler of Blue Castle, but he gave it up to me when I was ten, instead traveling around the world.  The older vampires are often rather distant to us, so it was mostly just the two of us."

            "You must have been very close."

            Damn.  Was this some kind of play or something?  Why did everything coming out of her mouth sound like garbage to her?

            Yet Keith continued on.  "But, when I was about a hundred or so, she fell in love with one of the mortals in a village.  They married.  She always knew that he would die eventually, so though it hurt her, she got over it.  But she seemed to be—we were all so sure that her children would be immortal.  **Their **deaths were unexpected.  That was what destroyed her.

            "And her son—her son lived longer than either his sister or father had.  He was as old as Zhuzhen, give or take a few years.  Except his mind had deteriorated over the years.  He became senile."

            _"Keith?  Don't you remember me?  Please…please Keith, I'm your mother…"_

_            He can't even recognize you.  Why Maria, why do you continue to torture yourself over him?  He is going to die soon.  And yet you still care for him everyday…as you did when he was a child…even though he doesn't even remember your name…_

_            Why do all this…for the love of a mortal?  What good is it…to be loved by one who will one day be gone?_

            But now, he felt like maybe he understood better.  And that thought scared him.  "After his death, she tried to kill herself by jumping off the tower.  She was put to sleep, and I…"  He sighed.  "I tried to go on afterwards, but I just…I couldn't.  So I went to sleep and when I next woke up…"  There was an attempted smirk.  "Yuri was wreaking havoc in the tower."

            "You joined him so you could get away, didn't you?"

            "I wanted to take my mind off of her, but I've been thinking more and more of her lately.  Because…I think I've done the same thing she did."  Keith looked at her, trying to see her reaction, wishing she would say or do something that would make everything clear to him.  But Margarete looked just as confused as him.

            _So he…he does love me?  But he doesn't want to…_  "I understand…so we'll just be friends.  Truce?"  She held out her hand.

            Keith smiled.  "Truce."  He took her hand and they shook, looking each other in the eye.  Abruptly he broke off the stare, and began walking back to camp.  He thought of how much easier his life would be if he had just taken Zhuzhen's suggestion and gone traveling with Nina and Michelle instead.

**

**Author's Note:**  So…for all the time it took me to write this chapter, it only covers one morning and one event from the night before.  Worthless, good-for-nothing update that serves almost no purpose, except to explain.  Notice that there is almost no coverage on Alice, and a lot less on Yuri than usual.  Hence the title, 'The Minor Character chapter'.

**And**…I realize I've neglected Regina for some time now.  Next chapter will have to have at least one major scene with her, and I think that'll be easy to arrange.

On another note, I've decided to go to an anime convention next year!

Yuri:  This soon???

Well, it's an annual event.  That, and my sister's already gone twice without me.  And, it's customary to go in costume, as one of your favorite anime or video game character.  I went through the possibilities—Aeris, Rinoa, Yuna, or Alice (I'm sorry, but I would **never** dress up as Margarete.  My mother would kill me.)  And guess who I decided?

Yuri:  …um…::tries to think of who she most looks like::….::realizes she doesn't really look as feminine as these girls do::…::decides it would be beneficial to his health **not** to mention that last thought::…

Are you going to guess, or are you going to mime the answer?

Yuri:  …Aeris?

Nope!  I'm going to go as you!

Yuri:  **What**?!

I wanted to go as Alice, but her hair and eyes are different from mine, plus her costume seems pretty complicated.  On the other side, brown hair, brown eyes, fairly simple outfit—it'd be easy to go as you!

Yuri:  I am highly offended.

Why?

Yuri:  First of all, you're a girl, second of all, you're a shrimp.  ::places hand on head to demonstrate::  See?

Third of all, I'm only a little shorter than Alice.  Are you going to tell her **she's** a shrimp?

Yuri:  …she doesn't torture me.

::sweatdrop::  Anyways, dressing as a character of the opposite gender is fine at conventions.  Lots of girls dress up as guys and lots of overweight guys dress up as Sailor Moon.  (I still do not understand the reasoning behind 'Sailor Bubba', but oh well.)

Yuri:  …

**

**Reviewers:**

****

**Rex:**  Heh heh…please calm down.  I have five more days of school, and then you should be seeing a lot more updates.

Actually, I don't know if the frog experiment really works…never tried it myself.  But I've heard it used lots of times as an example, so I think it might be true.  Or are you talking about the hypnotism?  That does work sometimes.

Of course Yuri's a pervert!  Alice wakes up and her hero starts hitting on her!  (I kept hoping she would slap him the first time.)

Hm, you have a friend reading this?  Well…actually, some of the things in there didn't make much sense to me either.  I'll explain more about the corpses at the end.

****

**Delka:**  What's funny about Persephone is…I keep on worrying that I'm going to make her completely contradictory.  I hope I haven't done that yet.  And very poor Halley…  ::pats him on the head::

****

**Aenea:**  Eh, French stinks (although the teacher's nice).

****

**Gutterfiend:**  Hmm…who did the bad things?  It's going to be very complicated…::grins evilly::

Yuri:  Because she can't be concise for once…

::hits him over the head with Alice's book::

The fox kid should be explained a little better by next chapter (it was actually supposed to be in this chapter, but ::shrugs:: everything seems to keep getting pushed back into later chapters).

****

**Greyfriars:**  I don't think you read that part thoroughly, for a reason I'll explain later on…

Hey, you don't think someone would die if they got hit with Advent by Alice?  Although I kind of enjoy the mental picture of a mad God chucking bibles at people ("Hey!  You!  See this?  It's a BIBLE.  B-I-B-L-E.  Now start reading before I get the lightning.")

…are you sure you've been paying attention?  What have Stephen and Regina both been saying about God?

What's Cthulu?  Why do I always feel stupid when I read your reviews?

Actually, I'm probably less than a year older than you, because my birthday was just last month.  (Go figure.  I'm an aries.)  By the way, astrology does **not** work.

Hmm…Bacon/Yuri…actually, what I would like to see is…

Yuri:  ::rolls eyes::  Keith/Yuri, yeah yeah, you'll never get it.

Well, that and Simon/Yuri…

Yuri:  WHAT???

Oh, come on!  You actually see eye-to-eye with him in the end!

Yuri:  I punched out his eye!

Just admit it Yuri.  You know you want him…

Yuri:  I'm going to have to kill you Aegis.

::Pouts:: Please write the fic?  The more SH fics, the better!

****

**Noodles:**  Well, I'm not sure, but I've heard you can boil a frog alive…ask Jack…

Yuri:  I wonder if he's ever tried boiling a human alive…

::stares at him::  Well thank you for that pleasant mental image!  I would like to think that a human's smart enough to get out!  And by the way, why **are** you named Yuri?

Yuri:  It's a Russian name, my mom named me.  And dad was out on an assignment, so when he got back…kind of too late…

He must have cried when he heard his son's name.  I'm sure they **weren't** tears of joy.

Well, I don't have the game either, but in SH, if you check out the NPC section, I believe it says she's a Fire class.

****

**Nights Mistress:**  Actually, I've heard about the 'strangling and getting off' thing before.  I read it in a book for school.

Yuri:  They allow those kinds of books in your school?

Yes…

Yuri:  I've got to go to your school sometime.

::Tries to imagine Yuri in any educational institution::   ::fails::

Well, I had to work Yuri's height out into inches, but yeah, he is kind of short as a guy…and Alice is only about four inches shorter than him.  But I'm still shorter than both of them…::pouts::

Actually…I've never read one of my friend's fanfics before.  So I'm not sure how a Keith/Yuri would turn out.  And it might not come on fanfiction.net.

Halley…sorta/kinda/didn't really kick the bucket.  It'll all become clear later (hopefully…looks down at tangled mass of string which represents plot…hides the string).

By the way…I got a bone to pick with you about your fanfic with Yuri…you know the chapter where Clara goes berserk and all the souls destroy the town?  It's making me have weird dreams about Alice and Margarete trapped in a church and being chased by this huge mass of souls…

Yuri:  At least it wasn't as stupid as the dream where you got a review saying Alice was OOC.

::sweatdrop::  Yeah, that one was pretty stupid…

****

**The Matriarch Mavina:**  Actually, I finally understand that you refer to yourself as Steel.  ::sweatdrop::  I was kind of confused about that before…

And I kept picturing Halley getting kicked too.  I don't know, I just seem to like torturing Yuri and Halley.

****

**Radical Rex:**  Owie…bullet…::winces:: that sounds painful…

Sorry, I'm still a little slow with updates (blame school).

Actually…I haven't really decided if she's immortal or not.  In order to even tell, the story would have to go on until she starts growing old, which would make it veerrry long.

****

**Loki, Harbinger of Death:**  I think I'm starting to get down their characters…although when I first starting writing the scene, I gave serious thought to killing them both off…but I think I've got K/M now.  Hopefully.  (help me!)

Simon/Yuri.  It could work.  If only we could get the two of them to agree.

Yuri:  Un-uh.  Never.

****

**Araschid:**  I did describe Syth once, I think in ch. 10.  And about Persephone, well…she was first rejected by her own clan.  And her current situation is a bit more complicated than it seems…

Syth is **older** than her.  But, Keith and Margarete are an accepted pairing.  The point is, immortals don't age, so he can wait until she's twenty (which is 'of age') and then court (or date) her.  Before then, it's considered inappropriate.  But once she's a mature adult…

It's actually Kain who's being the pervert, since he kind of suggests that Syth 'enjoy' her now (with all its dirty little implications.) Although, he's not exactly a pedophile either.  Think of it as a twenty-year-old hitting on a fourteen-year-old (which **is** still pretty perverted, but not as bad as an eighty-something).

No no no.  I **need** K/M suggestions.  Like on this chapter.  Did I ruin them, or are they fine?

**

**Corpses:**

What a lovely title.  Anyways, about the corpses…I said in chapter 15 that Keith was wounded by "various kinds of weapons."  Meaning more than one.  Meaning not just a sword.  Besides, I said he had lots of wounds.  Usually when you stab yourself, you just do it once.  Which is why I can't understand that people are suggesting he killed himself.

And Halley…actually, bravo.  I never thought of the hanging thing, although it was pretty interesting when I realized that could be the case.  But necks can also be broken by human hands…

And, someone pointed out Alice's eye.  There's something odd about that eye *hint hint…it's not in ch. 15 or 16, but in this one* .

Zhuzhen and Margarete, the desired conclusions were drawn (although we still don't know…it could've been murder, it could've been suicide…)

Yuri:  What's scary is she has a chesire cat grin while she's typing this whole section.

And…what might the end mean for Yuri?


	17. The Crossing

**Disclaimer:  **i. Do. Not. Ow. ShadOW HeArTs!  (Ha ha!  Take **that** English teacher!)

Yuri:  ::sigh:: Don't worry, the rest of the chapter isn't like this.

**

            "I guess…that means we should go back to Blue Castle now, right?" Alice asked.

            "Actually…"

            "We're back," Margarete announced.  Keith sat down as she said this, and she crossed the clearing to get to her small log.  "What'd we miss?"

            Yuri looked at her.  She didn't seem angry anymore—they must have made up.  "I was thinking, just for today, why don't we take a break?  Maybe go see Nina and Michelle."

            "Are you sure?" Zhuzhen asked.

            Yuri nodded.  "Why not?  Regina hasn't been doing anything for a while.  There's no hurry.  And…well, we deserve a break, don't we?"

            "Yeah," Halley agreed.  He was feeling a bit worn out from last night.  A day to relax would be nice.  What could it hurt?

**

            "So, I understand now," Persephone said thoughtfully.  "The dream was actually made by the fusion souls…"

            Regina nodded.  "Right.  When I first showed him their corpses, I only meant to show him how they died.  It was only that one night that I showed him.  But the fusion souls took those images and decided to play a trick on him, I suppose.  Although why they did…"

            "Do they hate him?"

            "I would think so, if they did something like **that**."

            Persephone shifted in the doorway, looking uncomfortable.  "But why?  The monsters I summon are never aggressive towards me."

            Regina gave a soft sigh, lying back on her canopy bed.  "I don't know.  I really don't know."  She toyed with her gold necklace, thinking.  "But, from what they did, I think they might remember still."

            "Still?"  Persephone seemed very surprised.  "You mean that Hyuga used them then, too?"

            "Yes…at least, those eighteen.  The other two, Amon and the Seraphic Radiance, he never had those.  But those…perhaps because they are of different elements…?" Regina mused.

            "Then what about the fusion souls of Darkness?" her servant asked.

            "You're right," Regina said.  Suddenly she sat up.  "Of course.  Once Hyuga fuses with a monster, it loses its body.  Perhaps they hold a grudge against him for that."

            "But they've never done anything to him before."

            Regina thought about this, watching the flames of heat that came in through small, vent-like openings.  She glanced at Persephone, suddenly remembering.

            "How long have we been chatting?  You must be uncomfortable."

            "Oh!  Well…just a little…"

            Regina smirked and stood, leading the girl out into the hallway and up the stairs.  Usually Persephone just woke her up and they went upstairs, but this time they'd gotten sidetracked with conversation.  Persephone had been dealing with the increased temperature for quite some time and, even with the light dresses she usually wore, it must have been agonizing.  Regina didn't really know; as one of the Fire clan, temperature didn't really matter.  The only time it was a nuisance was when it was too cold, and then she could always make a fire.

            But, instead of saying anything, Persephone just stood and dealt with it.  It was hard to tell sometimes whether the child was really happy or not.  She never complained when most people would.

            "Is something wrong Regina?"

            "Hmm?  No."

            "You were frowning."

            "Just thinking."  She'd brought up an interesting point.  The fusion souls hadn't done anything before to him, had they?  So why now?  Was it because of her?  Or…  "Perhaps they're trying now, because he's regaining his memory.  Maybe they're trying to distort what really happened."

            "What really…?"

            "All of them deserved to die.  That **he** should be accused of being a murderer, when they were all—except—"  She stopped, and Persephone turned to look at her as her expression softened, pensive.

            "Regina?" she asked quietly.

            "He was our ally, but…it wasn't his fault…"  Her mistress snapped out of her daze.  She tried to smile.  Why think about that?  "Sorry.  I'm getting tired of waiting though.  Pressuring Hyuga too much would make him refuse—I thought if I just waited, he would come—but it's…nothing seems to be happening."

            "You don't have to worry."

            "Persephone?"

            The summoner smiled, trying to cheer Regina up.  "I don't know why, but I have a feeling that Hyuga will come very soon."  She didn't know why, but something had seemed to change about him—some restlessness, which she took as a good sign.

            And the sooner he came, the sooner Regina would be contented.  The sooner, the better.

            "And when he's ready, I'll take him to you."

**

            Margarete watched as Yuri briskly marched at the front of the group.  With what had happened last night and how much he slept, she thought he might still feel a bit under the weather.  But here he was, rarin' to go.

            Then again, he must be looking forward to a day off.  Even though he hadn't complained much, he'd been put through an awful lot of crap in the past few weeks.  And he couldn't be looking forward to the possibility of meeting with Regina.

            She slowed, careful to avoid the logs and stones in her path.  Were they going to meet with her?  They'd talked about going to this 'other world'—no one had a clue what it'd be like, except maybe Alice and Yuri since they'd been in the Graveyard—but did they have to meet this damn woman?

            _Guess so,_ she thought.  _She's never going to leave us alone until Yuri meets her, and no way the kiddo's going alone._

            "Hey!  I just thought of something," Yuri said out of nowhere, interrupting their progress to Bistritz.  "About what she might want me for."

            "What is it?"

            "Well, Zhuzhen said something about a war, but Margarete said probably not."  He turned to the spy, seeming puzzled.  "But wouldn't it be easy?  I mean, wasn't he the 'Overlord' or whatever?  He could just command all the elemental class people, right?  And I'm his descendent…"

            "Didn't you hear what Stephen said?" Zhuzhen asked.  "Why do you think it was called the Elemental Clan War?  Those of the elements were finally able to choose for themselves who they wanted to fight for."

            Yuri seemed puzzled, and shrugged.  "I don't know.  I started spacing out…after he mentioned his birth…I even missed what his name was."

            "For some reason, he didn't have the ability of an Overlord," Keith explained.  "Which was the reason he was eventually banished."

            "But what was his name?"

            "They never gave him a name," Halley told him.  "They didn't bother, since he was just a…"  He trailed off as he realized what he had almost said.  What Stephen had said before.

            _Just a soulless monster._

            Everyone was silent, waiting for Halley to finish his sentence, hopefully not in the way they had thought he was going to.  The moment stretched too long; Yuri knew what he had meant.

            _Smooth move kid!_  Trying to get rid of the awkwardness, Margarete interrupted.  "And about the whole 'Overlord' thing, it's only the firstborn.  What're the chances that you're descended from all the firstborns in your family?"

            He shrugged.  "Might be a chance."

            She rolled her eyes.  "Whatever.  Although, I suppose we could test that on Keith.  He's from the Earth clan so, go ahead."

            "Hm…"  Yuri walked over to Keith, who looked a little annoyed that Margarete had volunteered him.  Oh well.  "Let's see…you're getting sleepy…veeerrry sleeepppy…"

            Keith shook his head.  "It's not working."  He suddenly yawned.  Everyone looked at him suspiciously.  The vampire scowled.  "You know I'm always sleepy in the morning, that doesn't count.  Try something else."

            "Okay…sing," Yuri suggested, grinning as he remembered the one time Keith had sung.  "You will siinnng…"

            "Like hell I will."

            "Oh well, was worth a shot.  I'll just have to get you drunk again."  He was laughing, trying to get everyone to lighten up.  After Halley's mistake, Margarete wasn't sure that would be possible.

**

[Yuri's POV]

            Now I'm not so sure I want to take a day off.  Everything seems so quiet now.  Margarete's keeping the conversation going—trying not to let us get too depressed—but everyone is subdued.  Maybe it's just from yesterday.  I don't know too much about what I did, besides kicking Halley in the face.  Maybe they're all just tired.

            Exactly why we should take a day off.

            I wonder if Halley's mad at me for what I did.  He didn't seem too angry yesterday, but today he's just been distant the whole time…

            I wonder what he was going to say.

            'They never gave him a name, since he was just a…'

            Why wonder?  It's obvious.  He was born of a monster.  Why give some damn monster a name?

            Do the others…do they think I'm a monster?

            Does Alice?

**

            "Hello, Keith!" Nina greeted the vampire.  "Did you sleep well?"

            He grinned.  "Very well, until a certain someone disturbed my slumber," he said, casting a sidelong glance at Margarete.

            "How long have you been awake?"

            "A few weeks now."

            "Why didn't you come sooner?"

            Another sidelong glance.  "I was in a bit of a hurry."

            "Hey," the spy said, "It woke you up."  She grinned, remembering how angry he had been at first.

            "Well, come on in," Michelle said, holding the door in.  "It's good to see you again."

            "How have you two been doing?" Alice asked politely.

            "We got the seeds from the plants that died."  Nina walked towards the back of the store, and then came back with a bag.  She carefully emptied its contents out on the counter, making sure none of the wheat seeds fell.  "And then we tried planting again.  This time they didn't die."

            "We saw them outside.  They look kind of small," Halley said uncertainly.  He didn't know too much about crops.

            "We just planted them."

            "Oh."

            "If these grow well, we might try growing more.  Maybe sell some of them," Michelle told them.

            "How's the store?"

            "It's alright, though it could be better.  So, what have you all been doing?  Another quest?"

            Alice laughed.  "You could call it that…"

            "Do you need anything?  Any items?"

            "Well…"

            As Zhuzhen walked towards the rows of items, Nina grabbed Keith's hand.  "Can we play again?" she asked.

            Keith looked surprised, but then nodded.  "Of course."

            "What's the game?" Yuri asked.  This sounded like a good distraction.

            "Well…we have six people…we could play hide and seek," Nina suggested.  No one disagreed, so she asked her mother if she could go out.  Within minutes, they were all hidden and Nina was looking for them.

            Yuri watched from his lofty hiding place, confident he was hidden well—but Nina quickly found him, right after she found Alice.  Disappointed, he dropped down from his branch and waited as Nina found the others.

            Keith and Halley were a little harder for her to find, but Margarete was downright impossible.  The game spread throughout the whole town, and there were many hiding places to check, but after an hour, they decided it would be best to just give up.

            "Margarete!!  Come on out!  I give up!"

            No sooner had Nina said this, Margarete stood on the store's roof and jumped down.  Everyone glared at her.  "What???"

            "That was hardly fair," Keith said.  "How is she supposed to find you if you're on the **roof**?"

            "She could climb on."

            Alice walked around the whole store, looking puzzled.  "But there's no ladder.  How did you get up?"

            "Acrobatics."

            Halley sighed.  And she thought Nina could get up **how**?  "Okay, everyone who thinks Margarete should be 'it' next, raise their hands."  There was a prompt and unanimous vote.  "Your turn, Margarete."

            "Fine," she said.  There was a minute for everyone to hide, and then she came searching.  It was then they realized that perhaps making Margarete 'it' had not been the best decision; she found them all in only five minutes and was extremely pleased with herself.  "And that, kiddies, is why I am Miss Spy Genius.  Your turn kiddo."

            Yuri rolled his eyes and leaned against one of the houses, beginning the count.  In the meantime, everyone else scattered around town.  Yuri turned back around and began looking around.  Nina, hiding behind a barrel, was rather easy to find.  The others were well hidden though, and he spent a few minutes searching without any results.

            After a while, he found Halley in some bushes.  His back was to him, and he snuck up on Halley as the boy watched the other direction, making sure to be quiet.  Yuri tapped him on the shoulder, effectively startling him—and then had to duck as a spell came flying at him.

            "Halley!  Calm down with the spells, alright?!"  That had been close.  He'd almost gotten hit by an Air Shot, which would not have been fun.

            "Dammit, don't sneak up on me then!"

            Yuri sat on the ground and looked up at Halley, noticing that he looked rather uncomfortable.  "Is your neck sore?"

            Halley realized what he was doing and dropped his hand.  "It's fine."

            "Are you sure?  You've been acting kind of strange the whole day…did I do anything else to you last night?  Sorry if I did."

            _Oh, I don't know…I had a vision of you killing me, you had a dream about it, some damn fox with your voice nearly killed me…_  Halley smiled, trying to not think about it.  "You didn't do anything.  I guess I'm just kind of jumpy, that's all."  'Jumpy' was not exactly the right word for it.  That same feeling of uneasiness had lingered on, past the vision, even though he knew Yuri wouldn't do something like that.  'Paranoid' might be more appropriate.

            Yuri was silent for a moment, then led Halley to where Nina was waiting for the round to be over.  He didn't say anything.  Halley knew he didn't believe him.

            After Yuri found everyone, Nina announced that it was her turn next.  "Well, this time you only have to find four," Yuri told her.

            "You're leaving?"

            He nodded and looked at the others.  "I'm gonna go back to the campsite and rest awhile."

            "I'll come with," Alice said.

            "Don't worry.  I'm fine.  Just want to get in some more sleep."

            "Is anything wrong?" Keith asked.

            Yuri glanced only briefly at Halley, then shook his head.  He turned and left them, walking though the east gate.

            He lashed out at the vegetation, now scowling.  Why didn't Halley trust him?  He was sure he must have done **something** yesterday…but what?

            Various plants and flowers were trampled under the heavy boots.  Although he occasionally looked up to make sure he was in the right direction, he paid no attention to the path he took, stumbling and kicking his way through bushes.

            Everyone…it'd been so quiet this morning, everyone was acting weird.  Was it because he'd mentioned the dream?  No, Margarete had told them that it was only a dream.  It couldn't be that.  Or was it…no…no, it couldn't be, because—

            "I'm no monster!"  He pounded a tree with his fist.  It shivered and dozens of tiny green leaves came floating down, some landing on him.

            Almost as a challenge to what he had said, there was a sharp bark.  Yuri turned and stared at the large fox.  "Fox Face?"

            He growled as he tensed.  Yuri quickly prepared to fight, already equipped since there were monsters in the forest.  Then he gasped as he felt the fusion souls fusing with Fox Face.  Not just one of them, but many.

            The fox changed, gathering bits and pieces of different animals in an odd arrangement.  An extra pair of forelimbs grew, one of the Fire class trademarks, and the sharpest claws—those were Lobos'.  The tails changed from a dark brown to resemble one of the Water class soul's.  Most of his body developed leathery skin, as Dark class souls had, but two golden balls floated around him, like a Light class.  Last, but definitely not least, two giant bird wings extended from his back.

            "Do you know how screwed up you look?"  Yuri asked.

            Fox Face's growling grew louder; apparently he was not pleased by that remark.  A ball of water began to form above him, and Yuri got ready to start dodging.  But there was a flash of fire, so bright Yuri winced, and when he looked again, his vision was obscured by clouds of mist.

            He scanned the area, looking for his opponent, but he saw nothing, not even a silhouette.  Was he hiding?  He concentrated and tried to sense him, but felt nothing, not a trace of aura.  _Damn it…_

            Suddenly he cried out as a large boulder hit him with amazing speed.  He fell forward, both his head and back aching from the impact.  He sat up—his vision swam, four shadowy foxes approaching him that merged into one—he punched Fox Face but then felt his arm being grabbed, the teeth digging into them…blood dripped down onto the ground, red turning to black—

            He slumped forward as Fox Face pulled his arm, making the other Harmonixer stop.  Curiously, he tipped the other over with his snout, observing that he was unconscious.

            "Hm.  So that's what a Chimera can do," he said thoughtfully, rather pleased.  The mist slowly faded, no longer necessary.  Noticing the blood from his arm, the canine slowly healed him, taking care that he didn't wake up.

            A chorus of deep growls distracted him from his job; he turned, already knowing what he'd see.  He had smelled and heard them a while ago, but hoped they'd stay away.  Now he snarled at the pack of wolves, but they were still approaching.  Of course, there **was** a full-course meal to tempt them.

            "What a nuisance you are," he muttered.

**

            Yuri was now in a very foul mood.  This day could not get any worse.  Hell, this **week** couldn't get any worse.  This was probably the low point of the month too.

            Fox Face was really back.  And he'd just lost to the damn fox.

            Not only that, but now he was in the Graveyard.  He banged on the gates, trying to see if he could get back out, but they were firmly shut.

            "Oh, great, so apparently I'm supposed to do something here.  Well screw that."

            He moved onto kicking the gates.

            "So you think you can just avoid responsibility?"

            Yuri turned around.  Standing at the beginning of the steps was a figure, cloaked in black with a hood drawn over the head.  The voice clearly belonged to a male.  "What do you mean, 'avoid responsibility'?  Just because someone gets an urge to summon me to this forsaken place doesn't mean I have a 'responsibility' to go.  Would you just let me leave?"

            The man ignored the request.  "You are trying to avoid the fact that it is only **your** fault that your friends are involved in this little quest of yours."

            "Look, they wanted to come along."

            "And you're letting them?"

            Yuri shifted from side to side, feeling a little uneasy about this.  "What's your point?"

            "My point is, that dream was true.  And if you let them come with you, it **will** mean their deaths."

            _How does he know about my dream?_  At the same time he thought this, Yuri protested, "Nothing is going to happen to them!  They can all take care of themselves fine!  And I'll protect them if I need to."

            "Strange.  How can you be both guardian and murderer?"  The man made a small 'hmph' noise, as though amused by what he had said.

            _In the dream, they blamed me…  _"I'm not going to kill them.  That was just a stupid dream!"

            "Then why are you so upset about it?"

            "What am I supposed to do?  I have to meet with Regina, it's not like I have much of a choice.  And Alice insisted we stay together!"

            "Run away."

            Yuri froze.  "Huh?"

            "Run from your friends, if you really care about them.  Meet with Regina alone."

            "But…I don't know how.  And we're all involved.  Everyone recognizes her."

            "You were once all involved with her, in one way or another," the cloaked figure said impatiently.  "But **you** are the only one she wants now."  He shook his head.  "About the method, it is simple.  If you choose to, you can go as soon as you awake."  Yuri got the impression that he was being glared at, though he couldn't tell with the hood.  "Or would you rather be a murderer?"

            "I wouldn't—"

            "You'd be surprised what you would do, Hyuga."

            "Shut up!  You know nothing about me!"  Yuri found himself breathing hard, growing increasingly angry.  "I'll go," he snapped, "Alone.  Not because anything would happen to the others, but because it only involves me.  Happy?!"

            "Satisfied."

            Yuri whirled around and yanked open the Graveyard gates, leaving the figure alone.  Slowly he turned and walked to the Grave of Fire, placing his hand against it.  "Regina!"

            There was such force and power in the command, she appeared immediately.  It was then that he removed his cloak; she smiled pleasantly.  "Hello, Hyuga."

            "Regina.  I want to meet with you.  Can you arrange it?"

            Her smile broadened and she laughed.  Persephone had been right.  "Of course Hyuga."  Although, something was odd.  Judging from the last time she'd seen Hyuga, she thought it would have been longer.  And Hyuga…  She frowned suddenly.  "You've changed.  Because of the Flare Brooch?  You seem even more like you used to be…and yet, still different in another way…"

            He raked his short brown hair through his fingers, trying to think of a way to explain.  "I am exactly Hyuga, as he once was.  Yet, as you say, different too.  Like a reflection or shadow of his soul."

            "A soul's shadow?"

            "That makes me sound like merely an object.  I prefer to be called a shadow soul."

            Regina chuckled at his assertive nature.  **That** would never change.  "But you will come?"

            "Send the summoner; I will come."

            Yes!  This was wonderful.  Finally…  "I shall see you soon."  She disappeared in an instant.

            Padded feet crept up to him.  "Hmph.  Do we have to meet her?"

             "It is necessary.  She insisted we come.  Thank you, Yuri."

            The fox shook his head; if it were possible, he would have smirked.  "I rather enjoyed that.  Would've been perfect, except for those idiotic wolves.  Thanks for teaching me the Chimera trick, sure confused the hell out of him."

            The man was both pleased and worried to notice that there was no anger in the fox's tone towards his other half, only amusement.  "I must ask you one more favor though."

            "What is it?"

            He glanced towards the Gate of Self.  "You were once willing, despite the risks to yourself, to kill your other half…if it becomes necessary, would you be willing to do that again?"

            The fox started.  "You were the one who asked me to accept him, forgive him…now you ask me to kill him?"

            "She asked me to have hope."  He laughed.  "Hope.  Not even the river Lethe could take my despair away…but for her sake, one last chance.  Should this fail, I refuse to have the others dragged down into my hell.  Ego should be the only one corrupted…I hope you would make sure no harm comes to the others.  To **her**."

            Fox Face bristled, almost snarling at the thought.  "If I kill him…what will happen to me?"

            "I won't lie.  I don't know for sure, but you will probably die as well."

            "Very well."

            "So we are agreed."  The shadow soul looked around at the graves, and then shook his head.  "Enough.  I cannot bear this anymore."  As if it had been an incantation, as soon as he said the words he began to change, growing smaller.  The cloak grew larger on him, beginning to fall off of his shoulders.  The eight-year-old boy grinned at Fox Face, unaware that there was anything wrong.  "You're back, Yuri!  Want to play a game?"

            The fox only shook his head at the transformation.  "You really do prefer naiveté."

            "Hmm?"

**

            Yuri moaned as he woke up.  Above him was a face, watching him patiently.  "My head hurts."

            "It probably wouldn't if you didn't sleep on the ground."

            That woke him up.  He recognized that voice, and after glaring at the figure and waiting for his eyes to work right, he finally determined that it was Lilia.  "What do you want?"

            She frowned, although it was difficult to tell with the day at dusk.  "Regina **did** tell me you wanted to see her.  I'm here to take you there."

            "You can?" he asked.

            "Of course I can!  I'm a Dark-class summoner."

            He rubbed his head, feeling confused.  Well, at least he wasn't in any pain.  Wait a second…who'd healed him then?  Definitely not Lilia…

            "How does that make a difference?"

            "Never mind.  Are you ready to go?"

            "Right now?!"  He stared at her.

            "You already have your equipment.  But if you want to, go tell your companions that you're going."

            Yuri frowned.  Well, he couldn't tell them he was going…he'd leave a note.  At least then they'd know he wasn't dead or something.

            "Go ahead.  I'll wait right here when you're ready."

**

            As he got back to the campsite, he was relieved to see it was empty still.  Probably they were chatting with Nina and Michelle or something.  But he hurried, knowing that they might come back soon.  He grabbed a random piece of paper—a light yellow shade—and wrote a message saying he was going, he was fine, and **don't bother with Regina anymore**.  All written in Japanese, but he knew both Zhuzhen and Margarete could read that and wasn't worried.  Then he flung it down and walked back to where Lilia was waiting.

            Had he stayed just two more minutes, he could have seen Margarete and Halley, leading the way back to the campsite.

**

            "So how does this work?" he asked.

            Persephone sighed.  "Just relax, and don't try to fight it.  This will probably take a while, since it's your first time."  She remembered how her first experience had been—she'd fought too much, felt like she was being suffocated.  "It gets much easier after a while."

            He looked unconvinced, but too bad.  Persephone began a slow note on the flute, watching as black strands began to form a circle beneath them.  Once complete, new strands began to lift up towards them, weaving strange, lazy paths in the air.  One snapped around Hyuga's wrist; he was startled, but then black strands whipped around Persephone's wrists, binding her.  Her ankles were already shackled by the darkness that was now beginning to pull her down, into the ground.

            "Yuri!"

            Both Persephone and Hyuga were startled, and turned to see—oh, wonderful.  Persephone swore mentally.  Hyuga was much more vocal.

            "Oh shit.  Shit.  I **knew** that was a bad idea."

            His companions had apparently found the note.  They were all rushing towards them, the Light-classed girl at the fore.  "Yuri!"

            "I suppose you don't want them to come with?"

            "They're not involved in this."

            "Then focus on blocking them.  None of them are of Darkness?"

            "No."

            "Good.  Now concentrate!"  A barrier rose up like an invisible wall, separating them on all sides.  She figured it could hold while they were crossing to the other world.  Hopefully.

            Damn.  Damn the girl.  She had reached them and, though the wall had pushed her back, looked very determined.  She tried again to penetrate the wall, this time using magic.  Hyuga and Persephone focused all the more on making sure she stayed out, but—

            There were flashes of light in the dusk; at times there was a blinding light, then followed by a wave of darkness.  There was the sound of screaming, and someone was also cursing.  Persephone felt like she was being torn apart in the conflict of dark and light magic, the darkness slowly crumbling away until the girl fell through and into the circle and then—

            Then they were gone.

**

**Author's Note:**  You know, despite the fact that I now have more time to write fanfics, this is the first time I've updated anything this week.  You guys must hate.  I'll try to update more often.

But something has been bothering me this past week, namely: my subconscious is trying to make sure I never leave school.  Really.  In past summers (and winter vacations, and spring breaks) I have been occasionally troubled by dreams of school.  Oddly enough, I never have these dreams while actually **in** school.  But this summer, it's reached its peak.  Monday was my last day, and on Monday night through Friday night (and probably tonight as well) I have had at least one dream about school.

Does anyone else's subconscious like to torture him/her like this???

Yuri:  Mine does.

No, with the school thing.

Yuri:  Nope, that's just you.

By the way, about "Faithless"…that was supposed to be just a little tidbit kind of thing, kind of like a preview…but based on some of the reviews I got, people will kill me if I do not update that soon.  So maybe I'll update on Sunday-Tuesday.  Sunday only if I'm **really** inspired.

By the way, I still think people might hate the idea for the plot.

Yuri:  I saw it.  **I** hate it.

Well, you know what!  You're really not a supportive muse, so THERE!!!  I think I'll switch to Alice.  She's much nicer.

Yuri:  …Ok-ay…and that really weird mood swing was brought on by…?

Dunno  ::whistles::

Yuri:  ::rolls eyes::

Oh, by the way, I know that Fox Face must have been a really weird mental image when he was fused.  But **anyways**, I gave him two gold, floating balls (please, no weird mental images here) 'cause I **think** that one of the Light class has those.  But I'm not sure.

**

**Reviewers:**

**Nights Mistress:**  Okay, so there are four guesses here:

First, that Keith is related to the Guardian, and that Yuri attacked the Guardian with an armory.

Second, that there are different factions in each clan.

Third, that all of the clans banded together and either assassinated Hyuga or stripped him of his powers.

Fourth, that Persephone or Sharon is responsible for Fox Face's physical manifestation.

Your score:  1 out of 4.  Please play again.

Yuri: O_o  Give her a hint here, at least.

My teachers didn't give me hints during finals.

Yuri:  Don't take your finals frustrations out on innocent reviewers.

Darn.  Fine, I'll say which one's right…the second guess.

Yuri:  …

La la la la la…my stepmom was actually amused by the drop bear e-mail, so I'm not really in trouble.  And now we know not to trust everything people tell us gullible American tourists (and I really have been fooled once, although that was by my own **family **::glares::)

You'll find out more about Fox Face.  And Keith and Margarete may or may not be doomed; I was considering killing them off during the last chapter (serious too).

Hmm…I want to believe that your Zhuzhen is just totally jealous.

**Delka:**  Well, I did say this would be a continuation of the game, so it'd better be related or people would probably kill me.  Were you talking about anything specific?

**SQ:**  Um…by OC, you mean in character, right?  Or was it OOC?  Hm…

**Gutterfiend:**  Sorry.  Yuri/Alice next chapter.  I promise.  It's not really a big deal, what was mentioned about the eye last chapter…just a curiosity, perhaps (hint:  AS).  Although I'm glad you did notice that in chapter twelve.

**Kimgrasshopper:**  I wrote soap?  I don't even watch soap…but yeah, I did realize it was kind of leaning that way.  And I wanted to end it on a lighter note.

I'm a sophomore in high school, which means six more years and then I'm out of college!!!

Yuri:  What if you're plagued by school dreams after you graduate?

::shudders::  Don't even mention it!

The seven-tail/four-tail thing was based on perspective.  Yuri was being approached by Fox Face, so his whole body was in the way and he could only tell there were at least four.  On the other hand, Zhuzhen and Halley saw Fox Face when he ran off, so they got a better view and, between the two of them, could probably determine the correct number of tails.  It's seven.

Actually, thanks very much for your evaluation of Persephone.  That was the kind of reaction I was hoping to get for her.  And where I am going with this?  Actually, a general plot is down, but I don't have a specific ending in mind yet.  Leaning towards a happy ending, but I may be swayed by requests or suggestions or the mood I'm in that day.

Yuri:  ::shivers::  Good mood please…

**Greyfriars:**  I checked out Cthuugle.com…still have no idea what it's about.  But that's just me.

Original fanfiction?  What about?  I have two stories I want to start writing…

Yuri:  Why don't you wait until you're done with one of these!!!

That and an FF8, FF9, Breath of Fire IV, original Breath of Fire, Suikoden III, Kingdom Hearts (either Sora/Kairi or Riku/Sora, I dislike Riku/Kairi), another SH, another SH—

Yuri:  ARE YOU STARK RAVING MAD???

Nope, but I'm working on it.

Yuri:  I hate you, I hate you…

**Araschid:**  Really?  I thought Syth was kind of cute (never seen AI, so I don't know what you're picturing).  If there is a pairing (we still debate) it will probably be Pers/Halley.  Hmm.  Persey.

Anyways, about Margarete and Keith…it's possible to write a fic with either of them as friends or as…more ::grins::.  While SH doesn't develop the romance, it does create the possibility for it with that first meeting.  I thought, because it's not developed in the game, there's probably some kind of obstacle between them (in this fic, it's Keith's past and immortality; in another fic, it could be reluctance from Margarete to get anyone involved in her dangerous life).  Of course, that's only if you want to make them fall in love.  You could just have them stay as friends, and that's perfectly fine.  ::shrugs::

Still debating if they will actually get together, or if I should just torture them throughout the fic.

**The Matriarch Mavina:**  For the whole K/M thing, that's not a possibility.  In my fic, Keith is going to rather lean away from the majority of vampires in mythology.  Although he can drink blood (and that may be addressed later on…) and is immortal, those are pretty much the only similarities he shares.

**Rex:**  Actually, only one clan out of the six is completely undivided in which side they're on…and it's not the Wind clan.

…You really didn't try the thing with the frogs, did you?


	18. Meaningless Existence

**Disclaimer:**  Don't own Shadow Hearts.  Am about to own a whole new world.

**

[Keith]

            After the light and magic faded, we looked up as one.  Alice and Yuri were both gone, as was the girl.  "Oh, no," Zhuzhen moaned.  It seemed Yuri had really gone to the other world and taken Alice with him.

            I walked closer, hoping that we could use the circle, as they had, but it soon began breaking up into thick clouds of smoke.  Margarete was not pleased.

            "Day off, my—if sonny boy was planning **this** one just like Nemeton, I'm going to kick his butt."

            "I'll help," Halley said, "but the problem is finding him."

            I sighed.  Why had Yuri decided to run off like that?  This was quite an inconvenient situation…more so as I realized just how little we knew about what we were getting into…

            "Well, c'mon Keith, we better go talk to your family again," Margarete said.  She fingered the yellowed paper of Yuri's note, turning it over, and then stuck it in her pocket.  "I mean, it'd be bad enough leaving him there, but Alice too?"

            "Yes, the sooner we find them, the better," I agreed.  Hopefully the elders had not yet gone back to sleep, because there could be no delays.  Who knew what could happen to them?

**

[Yuri]

            I expected to see anything and everything.  Everything, except—the Graveyard?  Couldn't be.  I turned around, a whole circle, seeing the temple, graves and gates.  Alice and Lilia were both gone.

            I'd probably been knocked out.  It was possible; there had been a lot of magic back there—

            "Yuri!"  The eight-year-old from before was looking up at me, distracting my thoughts.  "You're going to the other world, right?  Fox Face told me."

            "Um…yeah," I answered, looking around warily.  "And where's he?"

            He laughed.  "Don't worry about him!  Fox Face is a very good friend."

            "Oh really."

            The child frowned and then turned away, suddenly cold.  My remark had upset him, and he didn't seem to like me anymore.  "Come."

            Curious, I followed as he approached the first set of graves.  Then I stopped.  The symbols were glowing again.  Hell, this wasn't going to be a new twist on the dream, was it?

            The boy approached the Earth grave.  He reached out and took the Earth stone from it, the symbol dying down as the stone was removed.  He noticed I wasn't with him.  "What are you afraid of?" He snapped impatiently.

            "Nothing." I joined him on the mound, glancing apprehensively at the gravestones.  He held out the Earth stone and I took it from him.

            **"Of course.  I have nothing to do with him, he's just a curiosity.  Everyone knows he's only a monster."**

            The Earth stone fell from my hands and landed on the ground.  That was…Keith's voice.  But why would Keith say that?  He didn't think that, did he?

            "You'll need that," the child said, picking up the stone for me.  I took it, again hearing Keith's voice.  But there were other things too:  an impression of how much larger he was than me, candles, shouting…I shook my head, placing it in a pocket.  The images made no sense to me.

            "This one," the child called from the Water grave.  His hand gripped the stone.  Slowly, I took hold of the stone.

            **"Take care of her for me."**  Her tone was odd.  There was sadness, but also a strange calmness.  Like she was trying to hold herself in.  Something was lying next to me, something cool that touched my face.

            **"Past debts must be paid."**  Now I was holding the Fire stone, listening to Zhuzhen's voice.  Past debts…what did he mean?  Was he talking about my dad?  There was a younger face—much younger.  The argument died down as he spoke.

            "What is this?" I asked.  "Why am I hearing their voices?  Why didn't this ever happen before?"

            "The seal was on you before, remember?"

            I frowned.  "Why would Alice put a seal on me?  Let's say for a minute she did—but she doesn't seem to remember anything either.  No one does.  Was a seal placed on everyone?"

            The child was quiet for a minute.  "I don't know."  He shook his head, putting his hands up as if to shield it.  "I don't remember."

            "What are you doing here, then?  Who are you?"

            He shuddered and dropped down, wrapping his arms around his legs.  "I don't have a name.  They never gave me one."

            "They?"

            "My clan…they don't even want me.  They want to banish me.  But they don't because I'm the Overlord."  _Overlord…so he's from the Darkness clan, right?  Wait…is he the one who helped Regina?_

"Do you know someone named Regina?" I asked hopefully.

            He looked up at me, confused, and shook his head.  "I don't know anyone.  Fox Face is my only friend."  His dark brown eyes were pleading.  "He'll come back soon, won't he?"

            "Probably."

            "He left because you came.  He said you wouldn't like him."  Now the child cast his eyes down and said in a low voice, "Why do you hate him so much?"

            Before I could answer, he disappeared.  Not really, though; his body turned black and all features disappeared except for the outline of the huddled boy.  I reached out and touched his shoulder; he did not react and I couldn't even feel him.  That might have been his natural state.  After all, if he was the person who had helped Regina, wouldn't he be only a ghost now?

            The stones from the three graves shone brightly, bringing my attention back to them.  He'd made me get the first three.  Might as well get the others, although I didn't know what the point was.  One last look at him and I left, convinced I could do nothing for him.

            I walked over to the second mound of Air and Light.  I reached out and took the Light stone, since it was closer.

            "God, our eternal Father…" 

            Mixed feelings.  Hatred, curiosity, trust, mistrust.  All of them conflicting with one another.  Later, an argument took place.  No, it was a debate, except Alice was screaming, yelling.

            _Why does none of this make sense?_

            The Air stone.

            **"You've been acting different lately…"**

There was a tone of mistrust.  A casual grin at me as he showed an item in his hand.  People dancing.  Regina?  Was Regina also with the people?  Yes, she was watching me.

            _Maybe…_  I looked over at the kid, still pitch black and curled up.  _Maybe these are his memories.  Which explains why I can't understand them._

            But then, he'd said he didn't remember anything.  Shouldn't he take these then?  Or maybe they did nothing to him—that was possible.

            There was only one stone left.  I place the Air stone with the others and walked over to the grave of Darkness.  I took the stone.

            **"Existence itself is a struggle, from womb to grave."**

            There were so many images connected with this stone that they simply flashed past, almost too fast for me to see.  There were screams and candles burnt low, a small empty room, a garden—a jungle?—the first few images could be picked out, but then the got faster and blurred together and I saw only flashes, but all the time felt pain, some in my body but more in my heart and mind.

            The images got even faster, the colors beginning to turn into black.  Then I was standing on a riverbank, looking into the depths of the water.  A hand took mine.  I tried to pull back.  But instead Alice took my hand again and stole one last glance behind me before pulling me down into the current.

**

[Alice]

            I awoke and found myself alone in a field.  At least, I thought I was alone, until I rolled over and saw a small child about five, looking down at me.  She had short white blond hair and blue eyes, like me.  _She does look rather like me_, I thought bemusedly.  Then looking lower, I gasped; her hands were covered in blood.

            The loud sound in the silence brought a wave of creatures flying out of the grass; I tensed and then realized they were nothing more than butterflies.  There were thousands of them, in all different colors.  Instead of flying off as I expected, they formed a loose circle around the girl and me.  It was almost a tornado of butterflies.  It was one of the most beautiful things I'd seen in my life.

            As I watched in awe, a small voice began:  "All affirmations are true in some sense."

            "Excuse me?" I looked back at the girl and frowned; she was taller than I'd first thought.  I stood up.

            "False in some sense, meaningless in some sense."

            No, I hadn't been mistaken.  She was actually growing taller as she spoke.

            "True and false in some sense."

            There was a howling noise.  I looked around.  The butterflies had turned into ghosts that swirled and shrieked around us.  Now it really looked like we were in the middle of a tornado.  I looked up and my heart nearly stopped.

            There was an eye above us, closed as if asleep.  It looked like a hundred people could easily stand on top of the eyelid.

            "Stop," I told the teenager.

            "True and meaningless in some sense," the eye opened, "false and meaningless in some sense." 

            "Stop," I repeated, yelling over the ghosts.

            "And true and false and meaningless in some sense."

            There was a flash of light from above and I cried out, expecting pain.  But the two of us were unhurt, so I gazed up at the eye, wondering what had happened.

            Seeing the butterflies fall, I knew.  The souls were changing back to butterflies, insects with shredded wings.  As they fell out of the sky, useless bits of colorful wings fall around the two of us.  One even landed on my face.

            "Everything is true, false…and meaningless… and one day, we will all be forgotten."

**

[Keith]

            All of the clan was still awake, though scattered throughout the castle.  We settled with talking to my father alone, in the room where I had met Alice and Zhuzhen.  All of us were anxious to waste as little time as possible.

            "So…you want to know how to follow them," my father concluded once I had explained the situation.  He had a peculiar expression.  "Both the Light and Darkness class are gone?"

            "Yes, they are," I confirmed.

            He shook his head.  "Then you can't follow them."

            "What do you mean?" Margarete demanded; at her forward tone, I turned and shook my head to her past Zhuzhen.  She was cross, which was understandable, but it was not a good idea to be rude.  She frowned at me.

            "I mean that you can't follow them," my father replied, sounding annoyed.  "The crossing requires one of either the Light or Darkness class, with some magic power."

            "Great, they both just **had** to go," Halley muttered.

            "There has to be some way…"

            "We'll just need to find someone of the Light or Dark class," Zhuzhen said, trying to sound a bit optimistic.

            Halley's eyes widened, and then he frowned.  "Do we know any Dark class people?"

            Margarete thought about this, then looked at Zhuzhen.  "I think we've killed all the Dark class people we've met."

            "I think you're right.  Except Yuri, of course," he added unnecessarily.

            "But still, you must've met **someone** who can use Light class magic, right?  Or maybe we could find someone—"

            "And convince them that there's a completely different world on a different plane, and oh, by the way, two friends of ours are there so please help us get there?  Even most people who do use magic would think we've lost it."

            "Why can't they just bring themselves back?" Halley argued.  "She's Light, he's Dark.  What's the problem?"

            "The problem is that the ritual also requires the four elements," Stephen said.  "Which is no problem for a summoner, but may be a problem for your 'friend'."

            "What about Yuri?" Zhuzhen asked.

            "He chose to leave in the first place," I reminded him.  "And Regina would probably try to find ways of discouraging him to go back."

            Margarete flung her hands in the air.  "Great!  So we have to find some random stranger and try to convince them to take us to another world.  This is great…"

            This was not an appealing course of action to anyone, and finally Halley sighed.  "There's one other option," Halley said, looking very pained.  "Sharon.  She's a Light class."

            There was silence for a moment.  Why would Halley even suggest Sharon?  She was far too young.  While Roger Bacon might be on one extreme of the age factor, Sharon was right on the opposite.  It wouldn't work.  It was ridiculous.

            "Koudelka is gonna kill us," Margarete predicted.

**

**Author's Note:**  No wonder you people thought I stopped writing.  Now that summer's here, I'm totally out of it.  Not to mention that I've been spending most of my online time at gmboard.com, which is a very good site.

The next chapter might take as long to write, seeing as how—

Yuri:  We're lost AGAIN?!

::sweatdrop::  Well, we weren't sure what would happen after the picnic, but we managed to plow through that.  We weren't sure what would happen after Nemeton, but we plowed through that.  And you know what they say, the third time's the charm.

Yuri:  Or the curse.

Oh, stop being a pessimist.  The only problem is, we don't know yet whether we want this to be a long fic or a short fic.

Yuri:  Aegis, it's twenty chapters already.

Okay, a long fic or a longer fic.  This is actually my first fanfic that has reached double digits in chapters.  And now I really want to get to the end with this.  Though not exactly sure where the end lies…

Yuri:  Shoot me please.

Margarete!

Yuri:  ::sweatdrop:: Not literally…

And again, I'm not answering reviews for this chapter because of fanfiction.net.  Thanks to everyone who sent one though.  Next chapter, I will be answering reviews.

**

Also:  I thought that Roger Bacon was a Light class, but he's actually Earth.  Weird…and why did they kill all the Dark people ex


	19. Failure

**Disclaimer:**  Lessee, lots of stuff I own and much more stuff I don't own.  Anything you saw in Shadow Hearts, I don't own.

**

[Alice]

            I began to wake up, but at the sight I saw I was convinced I was still dreaming.  Instead of the grassy field or dark forest or inferno I had expected, there were a few wayward trees without leaves, seemingly dead.  There was no other vegetation; the fine, reddish silt lay uncovered.  I pinched myself.  This was not a dream.

            So I was in the other world then.  But wouldn't Lilia have taken us to Regina's tower?  Had something gone wrong?

            I looked around frantically and found to my relief that Yuri was sleeping next to me.  However, the summoner was nowhere to be seen.  Had she left?  That didn't make sense though…

            A few nudges woke Yuri up.  At first he was groggy, and he asked, "Alice?  You're going to ream me out now, aren't you?"

            "There's a bigger problem right now.  Do you have any idea where we are?"

            Puzzled, he sat up and looked around.  Then he swore in awe.  "Shit.  She really did it."

            "I thought she was going to take you to Regina's tower."

            His eyes widened.  "I thought so too."  He scanned the area, but I already knew he'd find nothing.  "Where **is** that brat?"  There was no tower, no summoner.  No clue to tell us where we were.  Finally Yuri summed up my agitated mood accurately:  "Oh, hell."

**

            Persephone reappeared in Regina's room.  Startled, she looked around but saw that only Regina and herself were in the room.

            "Where is he?" Regina asked, both puzzled and disappointed.  "He didn't change his mind, did he?"

            "He—he didn't—"

            "Then where is he?" the immortal demanded.

            He had come with her, as well as the girl.  Persephone was sure of that.  But he wasn't here.  What if…once again she began playing.  This time the black ropes her flute created snaked along the ground, feeling for something.

            Regina's eyes widened and she demanded, "He's not in the barrier, is he?!"

            "No.  He's not."  She didn't sense him there.  Or the girl for that matter.

            "Persephone, where is Hyuga?"

            She was losing patience now, and it'd be best to answer quickly.  Still, Persephone hesitated.  "He's here.  In this world."  Just not in the tower.

            It was the worst thing that could've happened.

            "Explain," Regina ground out.

            "I did meet him.  And he was willing to go," Persephone said quickly.  Should she tell about the note?  No, it'd only make Regina angrier.  "His companions found out though—they didn't want him to go."  Her words tumbled over each other in her anxiousness to explain.  "Sarah interfered with the crossing—she was using Light class magic—"

            "And you didn't stop her?"

            Persephone flinched as if she'd been stung.  "Both of us tried.  Her magic is very strong, you've said that yourself."  She tried very hard to make her voice sound calm, reasonable.  "After all, she was an angel."

            There was silence for a moment as her mistress accepted the news.  "Of course," Regina said slowly.  "It's not your fault.  You tried your best."

            The words sounded hollow, and made Persephone feel even worse.  She should've been strong enough to block Sarah—with Hyuga's help at least.  But Light magic had combined with Dark magic and created chaos out of a simple crossing.  She'd failed Regina.

            "But I'm so worried about him," Regina continued.  "What if he's in the City of Light?"

            They would kill him.

            "And anywhere else, I do not know that he would have…a warm reception."  Her crimson eyes glistened with tears as she looked at Persephone.  The girl was overwhelmed by guilt.  "Some of them bear grudges against him, some would surely kill him—"

            "No they won't!"  Persephone protested.  "I'll find him first."  Regina seemed surprised, but the servant felt like maybe, maybe there was a chance of making this all right.  "I swear I'll find him for you Regina."

            After a moment, Regina smiled.  "Thank you, Persephone."  She thought, and then beckoned to the child.  "Come closer."

            Persephone did and Regina put her hand on her shoulder, no longer mistress but friend.  "It will be hard to find him in this world, and there may be some danger.  Syth and Kain shall accompany you."  The girl nodded, very slightly.  "It is good that you want to fix your mistake, but be careful that you do not make it again."  A shadow chased across Persephone's face.  "Don't let Sarah interfere again.  If the two of them are together, separate them, no matter what.  Do whatever you have to."

            "Of course."

            Regina smiled as she heard this answer and asked, "Why are you so willing to do this for me?"

            "Because I want you to be happy," Persephone said.  "I'll be happy if you're happy."

            "Yes.  You will be," Regina promised before turning away.  "Now, you should probably start getting ready."

            "Yes Regina…"

**

[Margarete]

            "So what was that about?" I asked Keith as we left the castle.  He looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language.  "The head shake."

            "You shouldn't be rude."

            "I wasn't trying to be rude.  Besides, it's just your dad."

            He shook his head again, looking exasperated.  "He's the ruler of the clan."

            "So?"

            "He didn't tolerate that before."

            I rolled my eyes.  "Too bad for him, we're not in the other world."

            "We will be soon."

            Oh.  He had a point.  Mouthing off to a ruler, especially one with magic, was not exactly the smartest idea ever.

            "Why's that matter?" Halley interrupted.  "We don't have a reason to see any of them.  Except the one," he added with a scowl.  "And I'm not going to be nice to her."

            Keith said patiently, "I know.  But how do you think the other rulers will react when they find out about him?  His ancestor is probably well known for starting a war.  And there will be some people who remember him personally."

            Zhuzhen turned towards him.  "You think he might be in danger?"

            "If they found out, possibly."

            "They won't," I protested.  "I doubt Regina would want someone finding out about this, and it sounds like she's isolated."

            _But the other rulers know about her.  They'd want to keep an eye on her.  And kiddo's always been an idiot about bringing attention to himself…_

"If they do though, the situation could become very complicated."

            "You think they'd want to use him?"

            This brought stares from everyone else at me.  "Use him?  Wouldn't they just kill him?" Halley asked, and then he shook his head.  "Let's not think about this, alright?  No point in dwelling on what might happen.  I'm just hoping we can actually go to—"

            He stopped abruptly.  I wondered why but then a heard a familiar sound, like radio static.

            **Come here…away…Alice are gone…world…Sharon will take…says…ready.**

            Koudelka's voice lingered in my head as I looked at Halley.  "Did you tell her already?"  From the fragments I had heard, it sounded like Koudelka knew the situation, but Halley's eyes were wide.

            "No.  I'm not that good at telepathy yet, I couldn't send a message that far."

            Zhuzhen raised an eyebrow.  "Interesting.  Could one of your clan have alerted her?"  The question was directed towards Keith, though with a careless shrug the vampire told us this was not likely.

            "Perhaps if they'd bother."

            "Who cares?" I asked, though still feeling a little suspicious.  "Least we know Sharon's willing."

            The old man nodded.  "We've got a while to Prague.  Let's pick up the pace," he said, creating a fireball to light our way through the night.

**

            "Where are we?"

            Kain marked the tower's location with a circle.  "Right here on the map.  Do you sense anything near here?  He might not have gone far off."

            Persephone shook her head.  "He's nowhere near."

            The illusionist grit his teeth.  Great.  There went a simple job.  Now it was going to be hard.  On the map, he pointed out the other cities and frowned as one of the dots moved.  "Those damn idiots," he swore.  "Bloody traitors."

            At this, Syth moved closer, craning his neck to look at the map.  Sure enough, the movement was towards the city of Light.  "Hm, Water towards Light again.  Looks like they might have an alliance with them."

            "I'll kill her.  She's sold out."

            "The Water and Light clans **did** work together in the war—"

            "Stop chatting, there's more important things to do."

            At this, both men looked up at Persephone, who seemed very annoyed.  She pointed towards the black dot.  "I sense many of the Darkness clan here, of course, a few here—"  Her finger went over to the blue dot, "Some here—"

            "Of course, that's Nemesis and his party, trying to talk sense into Mia again—"

            "Don't interrupt me Kain."

            Kain was now looking at Syth with wide eyes, seeking backup.  Persephone was never like this.  "Persephone," Syth began cautiously, "Are you upset?"

            She glanced at him, seeming confused, then looked back down at the map.  "There's two near Air and three near Earth.  Earth has more people.  So we'll go there first.  Get ready."

            Persephone stood from the table, but Syth grabbed her sleeve.  He asked again, "Are you upset about anything?"

            "No," she said.  "Nothing's wrong."

            "You just seem…sort of…snappish," Syth said slowly.

            "That would be because this is important, and both of you seem to think it's not."  She glared at him.  "Don't you understand?"

            Syth understood, and he dropped his hand to fall by his side as she walked away.  Kain watched as his friend scowled once the girl had left the room.  "Regina."  Syth pushed himself away from the table and marched into the hallway, the illusionist following him.

            "Syth."

            He stormed down the stairs, ignoring his friend's call.

            "Leave it, Syth!"  
            Down a few levels and now Kain could feel the heat of the inferno beneath their feet.  Ahead of them was the door to Regina's room, just a few feet away.

            "She's fine!"

            His friend pulled open the door.  "REGINA!"  The door slammed shut.  There was no way to stop him now.  Kain slumped down on the stairs, and tried to make out what he could hear from the heated argument.  Syth's voice was louder, but Regina's temper was obviously being tested. Suddenly her words became quieter, lower. Then there was screaming.  Male.

            And all he did was shake his head.  "You stupid idiot.  Just leave it alone."

**

[Alice]

            When we realized that we were stranded in the middle of nowhere, we both decided that we should start walking, following the light I summoned.  We had no clue which direction to go, or where; but we had no food and water and it was obvious that we should get both quickly.

            Yuri didn't say much as he walked, and I didn't say anything either.  I could sense that he was upset that I had followed him, and also worried that we were out in the middle of nowhere.  I was a bit put out by him being upset—how had he expected us to react?—but, thinking on it, I suppose he didn't want more people involved than there had to be.

            Along the way, small blades of grass had sprung up, and now the ground was covered with it.  I took this as a good sign; we must be getting closer to water.  There were leaves on the trees too, although there was no fruit growing yet.  Since it was springtime, we were out of luck for fruit.

            Finally, we came to a river.  Yuri immediately began drinking, scooping water in his hands and gulping it down.  I was a bit hesitant, watching the water flow past us.

            "What's wrong?" he asked.

            "Isn't it dirty?"

            I was surprised that he shook his head.  "It's running water.  That's a good thing.  And I didn't taste anything odd."

            "It's a bit too late once you've put it in your mouth."

            He grinned lopsidedly and drank more.  I was thirsty too and started drinking, careful to lay my things by the side.

            After a while, we both leaned back against a large rock, sitting next to each other.  "Look at that sky," Yuri said wonderingly, his head tilted back.

            In one direction—I was assuming for now that it was East—there was a light glow in the sky, indicating that sunrise was coming.  We had been walking the whole night.  But Yuri was pointing out something else: the absence of stars.  There wasn't a single star in the sky.

            "Bad night for stargazing," I said lightly.

            "Why did you follow me?"

            My eyes went back to him, but he was still facing the night sky.  "Shouldn't you know?"

            His gaze came down, landing on me.  "I'm not sure."

            "I love you."

            And for some reason, it seemed like I had both taken away and multiplied his worry.  Yuri leaned forward and kissed me, pulling away to say, "Thank you."

            What was he thanking me for?  For coming with him?  Or for loving him?

            "Let's get some sleep now," he said, casting a look around while rubbing one of his eyes.  "I think we're safe here.  And it's been a long day."

**

            It was going to be a long day.

            Kain drew this conclusion based on Syth's long face, which prompted the automatic question:  "Are you alright?"

            "Fine," Syth answered dully, joining him as he walked towards the exit.  Persephone was waiting there, pacing the floor.  Kain felt a rush of anger when he saw her.

            "Everyone ready?" she asked, checking over both.  Kain glanced at Syth, but his friend was physically healthy, one thing to be grateful for, he supposed. Regina could have decided to give him a few burns—or make him go on the March.  He shuddered at the very thought of that.  It was one of the reasons you simply did not disobey the Fire ruler.

            Syth nodded, but seeing this, Kain argued.  "Why don't you stay behind Syth?  There's no reason for you to come.  How are you going to help?"

            "You know I can help track him," he answered wearily.  Kain grit his teeth.  It was no use with these two.  They'd both go even if he stayed behind, and then they'd get themselves killed.  No use at all.

            Persephone walked up to the white wall surrounding the tower.  A simple step took her through, and then Syth followed.  Kain turned for a moment and viewed the five stories he could see.  He promised himself that when Hyuga came back, things would change.  He wasn't sure how, but things could only get better.

**

[Margarete]

            I woke up with a start, gasping for breath.  I looked around wildly, trying to figure out where I was.  Zhuzhen's voice came from outside:  "Something wrong, Margarete?"

            "N-no," I said shakily.  I had shouted, hadn't I?  Or I had tried to—but then the water had gotten in my mouth and I couldn't speak, couldn't **breathe**…

            "We slept longer than three hours.  It's been four."

            "Okay."  So we were supposed to get moving an hour ago.  Well, an hour wasn't too bad.

            "You're sure you're alright?"

            "Yeah.  Yeah, I'm fine.  Just need to change."

            I twisted around to look for fresh clothing, and then looked down in my hand.  In it there was a yellowed, ragged piece of paper.  On one side was Yuri's note—but on the other side, there was another note.

**

**Author's Note:**  Zzzz…::snaps awake::  Huh?  We're done?  'Kay…::goes back to sleep::

Yuri: …::pokes awake::

What?

Yuri:  There's other fics you need to write, too.  So don't be lazy.

Hmph.  Don't insult the all-powerful author.

Yuri:  ::rolls his eyes::

You don't think I am?  Fine.  I'll prove it to you later, now…::goes back to sleep::

Yuri:  ::prods::  Reviewers.

…Darn.

**

**Reviewers:**

**The Nightopian:**  Yes there is a good/bad ending (it sounded like you were confused).  And thanks for the review.

**Kimgrasshopper:**  Yuri's note would probably be in Japanese.  After all, since he grew up in China, he probably learned Chinese, Japanese, and Russian up until his parents' deaths; afterwards, he might have learned Chinese and Japanese (since the military was there) but he probably wouldn't learn anymore Russian (unless he went there).  ::shrugs:: It just seemed natural to me that he'd write the note in either Chinese or Japanese, not Russian.

            Um…I'm not really big on vampire things either, but I'm glad that you thought Keith was in character.  Now hoping that Margarete is in character (as she always seems to be the troublemaker for me).

            Actually, we have figured out today that we are lost too.  ::Is tangled up in the big yarn ball of string plot::  Meow?  ^^

            By the way, Alice's philosophical treatise is the Syadastan Affirmation, a Discordian catma.  A dogma is a proposition and either true or false, but a catma is a propositional function and so can have many meanings, some true, false, or in the Excluded Middle (or in the Syadastan Affirmation, meaningless).  This all according to Everything is Under Control, a kind of encyclopedia on conspiracies and cults.  Sound weird for Alice to be reciting that little piece?  It should be explained later.

            (Also, some claim that if you repeat the Affirmation 666 times, you will have Total Enlightenment.  I got up to about 6 before losing count.)

            As for Faithless, the problem is that when I first posted the third chapter, it counted the number but didn't display the chapter.  So I had to repost that, and it added that to the tally as well.

**SQ:**  Yeah, I've heard about SH2…one article I saw said there'd be four character battles, so there's got to be at least four characters…probably more…so maybe Yuri and Alice can fit in there somewhere.  Hopefully.  ::crosses fingers::

**Araschid:**  It was not just you **or** ff.net.  It was my own laziness and sleepiness when I posted the chapter.  I thought I had finished the sentence, saw in the preview that I hadn't, and realized I didn't really care.  ::sweatdrop::  In fact, there's a lot of things in previous chapters I need to fix.  Incorrect spellings, switching tenses back and forth during a scene (the end of ch. 4, I believe) and conflicting eye colors (Keith has both blue and green eyes).  That, and there's a few paragraphs that didn't belong in the first chapter but were put only because I was obsessing about a different story I'd chosen to postpone (probably indefinitely) for this one.

            I hope I can organize my thoughts too.  Sometime.

**Nights Mistress:**  Well, I already gave you permission and you've already used the message so moving on to…your suggestion.  ::Grins::  Advent on Yuri.  Let's see if that can be worked in…

Yuri:  That is **not** fair.

**Greyfriars:**  Actually, when I first fought Simon, I thought he was a Light class (because of the Revelation attack).  And I thought this be a great game, because how many games have you fighting against supposedly holy people or whatever?

            …Well, it's a great game, but we never see any bad Light class people.  And they had all these Dark class bad people, and it's like frustration.

            Earth people all live for abnormally long amounts of time.  How 'bout that?

**Rex:**  Yep, Sharon is back in.  I'm still kind of unsure how she'll fit in the group (in relation to everyone except Halley) and I'm hoping to figure it out.  By next chapter.  This is going to be interesting…

            Yes, I have heard of SH2.  Very excited, although the official website is only in Japanese…


	20. Tripura

****

Disclaimer: Don't own SH, do own a few worlds (heh heh…).

**

[Yuri]

I heard an animal sound, some kind of chattering. I looked through blurry eyes, seeing Alice just a few feet away, still curled up in sleep. Sitting up, I located the noise and blinked a few times.

There were the exact same monsters Lilia had summoned on us. Blue skinned, hairless monkeys with wings. If there had been any doubt before about which world we were on, that settled it.

The monkeys huddled around something, something that flashed. Metal? Squinting, I forced my eyes to make it out. It looked like one of my claws.

My claws!

They had our gear!

I almost yelled at them before I caught myself. **That** would have been stupid. Instead I got up as quietly as I could. The monkeys were busy chattering away as they went through our armor and weapons. One of them was stupid and cut itself on my claw. It began screeching loudly.

Stepping closer, I had almost reached them when one turned around. The monkey saw me and screeched, sending them all flying--carrying our equipment.

"Oh, dammit--!"

I wanted to chase them, but I couldn't leave Alice behind, so I woke her up. At first she was sleepy, shielding her eyes from the harsh sunlight, but once I'd told her what happened, she was wide awake.

"Which way did they go?" she asked.

"Across," I said, pointing to the river. "Come on."

Walking along the river, we eventually found a bridge to cross over. The sight of a bridge was reassuring. We couldn't be far away from some town.

The trees became more dense and soon we were in a forest. As the plant life increased, I spotted some animals too, squirrels and birds.

Alice was watching two squirrels and said, "Do you think we're really in another world? Maybe we're still on earth."

I shrugged. "Never seen anything like those monkeys before."

"A new kind of monster?"

I grabbed her wrist, stopping her. I put a finger to my lips. We both listened. The damn chattering sound. We'd found them.

I walked forward a few steps by myself and saw them. Some were in the ground, while others were flying from branch to branch in a large tree. As soon as they saw me, the screeching started. Rocks came flying at me.

At this point I was past being annoyed. Last time I couldn't fuse, but this time…I cracked my knuckles and grinned.

"Let's see how you baboons like this."

One fusion to Seraphic Radience and two dozen dead monkeys later, I started searching for our gear.

Still fused, I flew up into the tree and circled around. There was a hole in the tree among the lower branches. I landed on a nearby branch and undid the fusion, grabbing our weapons and armor.

The monkeys had been into collecting. Under our stuff, there was clothing, jewelry, and coins. They must have stolen from quite a few people. I took one of the coins out. It was a silvery color. There was an image of a smashed goblet.

I undid the fusion to shout, "Hey Alice, look at this." Then I realized I couldn't see her. Hadn't she followed me?

The equipment was dropped to the ground. On second thought, I also grabbed the coins. They'd be useful. I then dropped down myself and looked around.

Alice was standing just a few feet off, which was a relief. But standing right next to her was a fox--no, a kitsuune.

"Alice? Get away from that--_you_!"

Fox Face snarled at me and Alice turned around. "Yuri-"

"Get away from her!" I yelled at the fox.

"It's alright Yuri, it's only Fox Face."

I stared at her in disbelief. "_Only_ Fox Face?"

He growled. Alice turned back to him and said, like she was replying to something he'd said, "So, not too far from here?"

"Do you need a Pure root?"

More growling and this time she nodded. "That's good."

"Hey!" I walked over to Alice, making sure to keep an eye on Fox Face. "Alice, you're starting to worry me. C'mon, cut it out."

"Cut what out?"

I started wondering if I'd have to give her a Pure root. Then I realized we didn't have one anyway. "You're talking to a fox."

"What do you mean? It's Fox Face."

"What does that mean? All he's doing is growling."

"You mean, you can't hear him?" She seemed confused.

I turned my attention to Fox Face. "Whatever the hell you're doing, you better stop it right now."

Alice grabbed my arm. "Yuri! He's not doing anything. Leave him alone."

"What do you mean?! He's growling and you think he's **talking**? I think it's kind of obvious he's doing something to you."

"Yuri, he's you. He can't do any magic."

"He is not--"

She glared at me, seeming close to losing her temper. "Yuri. Sit down."

I sat.

"You really can't hear him?" she asked me.

"He's not talking!"

She shook her head. "So…we've been going in the wrong direction."

"Or so says the demon fox."

"So Fox Face says," she said. "And he says he knows the way to a city."

"And I say that's bull." Fox Face growled and Alice merely shook her head.

"Will you two please stop baiting each other…?"

"Just saying," I muttered. Then I realized what she had said. I looked at her. "What did he say?" I asked, forgetting that he couldn't say anything.

"I'm not repeating it," she said stubbornly. "So, the question is, do we follow him?"

"No way in hell."

"I think we should," Alice said. "We don't know where to go. And I think he's telling the truth."

"He might know the way, but he'd probably lead us to our deaths first."

Alice sighed. "I thought you two accepted each other."

"He's kind of tried to kill me since then, so that's a moot point," I said sarcastically.

Fox Face growled some more, and Alice turned to him, listening. Finally she sighed. "Alright, lead the way."

He silently padded off, with Alice following behind. "Hey, Alice…what are you doing? We're not going with him," I yelled after them. She didn't even pause. "Alice, come on…shit…hold on, wait up!" I shouted as I got up and started running after them.

**

[Halley]

"Yuri's note…"

"Yes?" Zhuzhen prompted Margarete.

She toyed with the piece of paper, and then said, "Well, didn't any of you notice anything about it?"

I looked at it. There was writing on both sides, which I'd noticed before but hadn't thought about. "What's on the other side?" I asked.

"It's another note. This one's in Japanese too," Margarete said. "But it's not Yuri's. Different handwriting."

"So…" Zhuzhen waited for what Margarete had to say.

"Did Yuri ever mention the note to any of you?"

Keith shook his head. "Is the note important?"

"I think so."

I looked through the window at the fields we were passing, then shook my head and turned back. "Margarete, just spit it out already."

"It's a suicide note," she told us.

Zhuzhen leaned forward in his seat, now interested. "A suicide note by who?"

"There's no name," Margarete said. "But it mentions clans. A war that hurt all clans. And that the war was started by a person descended from their clan."

"The person who started it…they could be talking about either Yuri's ancestor or Regina," Keith mused. "Which means the person who wrote the note was either from the Fire or Darkness clan."

"Yeah, but…how does this help us?"

Margarete bit her lip. She was crumpling the note in her hands. "I don't know. Maybe it's useless. The kiddo must've thought so, if he never mentioned it."

She suddenly looked tired. "Why don't you sleep?" Keith suggested. "We still have a few hours until we arrive."

The spy shook her head. "I can't sleep." She laughed. "I should never have asked Yuri about that. About how I died." Margarete held her head in her hands. "Whenever I go to sleep, I dream of drowning. I know it's only because he mentioned it, but sometimes…" She trailed off and shook her head. "It's just a dream."

"Maybe it isn't," I said without thinking.

Keith glared at me. "What do you think it is?"

I blinked. I didn't want to talk about my dream, so I quickly said, "Maybe it's symbolic. Don't water and death both have to do with change? And we're trying to go to another world. That's a big change." I realized at this point I was about to babble, and shut up.

Margarete bought it, even though I wasn't even sure of what I was saying, and left for her compartment.

If both of us were dreaming about our deaths…but the other's weren't, I reminded myself. Maybe just suggestion…

_But you dreamed before he told you, you already knew…_

Just like mom knew without being told that Yuri and Alice had left. When we got there, I'd have to ask her how exactly…no point in trying it now…I'd probably miss her answer. Just a few more hours…

**

[Yuri]

It'd been three days now. Fox Face had yet to do anything sneaky. Although that might have had something to do with my threat. 'Make one wrong move and I'll skin ya alive' would probably discourage anyone.

And at least he was keeping his distance.

I glared at him as he walked ahead. He wasn't really trying to help us. Why would he? Never before had he done anything good to me.

The fact that Alice could hear him speaking and I couldn't was by itself disturbing. If he was my other half, shouldn't I be able to understand whatever it was he was saying?

Alice was walking ahead with him. Suddenly they both stopped and Alice gasped, turning around. "Come on Yuri! Look!"

I walked forward up the hill, meeting them at the top. My eyes widened as I took in the city, but most of all the palace, that looked as if it was covered in gold. Fox Face gave a low growl.

Alice translated for me. "This is Tripura, the city of Air."

**

[Halley]

Chris rushed to meet us when we came in. "Does Sharon really have to go with you?" was her first question.

I sighed. "Trust me Chris, if there was an alternative, I wouldn't even consider it."

"Well…she's almost ready." Chris still looked uncertain, but she shook her head and said, "Just make sure when you leave that Joshua doesn't come with you. I think he might try sneaking out." She looked over to where Joshua was half-heartedly playing with some of his toys.

"We'll be doing the ritual here," Keith said. "That's not a concern."

She looked at both of us. "Really?"

I nodded. Keith's brother had appeared on the train ride to tell us the details. Not that there were many. Because this was our first time, we had to go to the other world through Sharon's Graveyard--although Leon had said the proper name for it was 'spiritual world', since not everyone had graves. There was no reason why Sharon would, and I was a bit curious about what her spiritual world looked like.

He said we would know the entrance when we saw it. Go through that, and we'd get into the other world. It sounded simple enough.

"Well, Koudelka will be relieved," Chris said.

"By the way, Chris…do you know how Koudelka found out?"

She bit her lip. "Three days ago, just a little while after dinner…we were all cleaning, when she suddenly fainted."

"Fainted?"

"Yeah. When she woke up, she asked Sharon if she'd be willing to go." She shook her head. "I thought maybe your telepathy had made her faint maybe…"

"I didn't even try contacting her then," I told her.

Chris shrugged. "Then I don't know."

"Let's go see her then," Margarete said.

"She's in the room upstairs, with Sharon."

Sharon looked up as we entered. She seemed nervous, but when she saw me she grinned. "Got everything," she said cheerfully.

Once again I realized how stupid this was. She was only a kid. How could we just drag her with us to another world?

"Are you sure?" I asked.

She nodded and then held up something. A slingshot. "Joshua made it for me!"

"This way she can at least defend herself," Koudelka added.

"Can't she just summon…?" I stopped when Sharon's face fell. I remembered the others telling me about her last summoning. Like she'd want to summon after **that**. "Guess I'll be teaching you how to use a slingshot then."

She cheered up on hearing that. "I'll be a fast learner, promise!"

"You should say goodbye to Joshua and Chris now," Koudelka told her. She nodded and went downstairs.

Zhuzhen asked first. "Koudelka, how did you know we'd need Sharon's help right after Yuri and Alice left?"

"Chris said you fainted," I said quickly.

"Yuri told me," Koudelka said.

"He did?" Margarete looked puzzled. "But he wanted to go by himself. He didn't want us coming with. So why…"

"I guess it was because Alice had come with him. Except…Yuri seemed different in a way," my mom said slowly. "He wore a cloak with the hood down."

"Did Yuri already know Sharon was required?" Keith asked.

Koudelka shook her head. "He didn't mention her by name. He only said to find someone of Darkness or Light…she was the only person I could think of." She said nothing more.

"Well, if that's all," Margarete said, "We better get started. Let's go downstairs." She went down, followed by Keith. Zhuzhen was right behind me.

We gathered around Sharon, who was already lying down in the room Carl set up for her summoning.

"Now, everyone's got to get in the spiritual world," Zhuzhen said. "Make sure you don't fall asleep." He glance at Margarete, who shook her head.

"I've got it, I've got it."

I laid down near Sharon and glanced at her round face. Then I closed my eyes and slowly drifted, trying to focus on Sharon…

I opened my eyes, this time standing up. Zhuzhen was already there, and Keith came soon after. Margarete took the longest, but she eventually showed up.

Sharon was standing just a few feet away from us, staring into her world. "Good job, Sharon," I said. It must have been difficult for her especially, since she was so young.

She was silent. What was she looking at? Our view was blocked on both sides, since we were in an alley of some sort, but she was on the open street. I walked forward, calling out, "Is something wrong?"

When I stepped out into the open street, I could instantly see what was wrong. There were bodies lying all around the street…

I looked down at Sharon, and she looked up at me, tears in her eyes.

"Why are they here? Why are they in my world? What does it mean, Halley?"

There was nothing I could say.

**

****

Author's Note: Now…you shall see Yuri…how great the writer's powers are!

Yuri: ::yawn::

::sweatdrop:: Cut that out. Anyway, you shall now see me make a character OOC.

Yuri: Any idiot can do that.

. Shut up.

Yuri: ::rolls eyes:: So, who's the victim?

Alice.

Yuri: What?!

Alice: ::comes in with Regina's cat-o'-nine-tails:: Oh Yuri ^^ my little foxie…

Yuri: o.o

Halley: Yep, that's about as OOC as they come.

Yuri: What are you doing here?

Halley: Watching the fun.

Alice: ::cracks whip:: Now, you must call me 'mistress'! (Anyone ever watch/read Sorceror Hunters?)

Yuri: O.O ::runs as Alice whips him:: Sanctuary! ::dives under Kim's futon::

Halley: You just lost your muse.

::nod:: I need a new one.

Halley: …::disappears in a flash::

-.- That's no fun, Halley…fine. Alice is my new muse!

Regina: ::storms in:: Give me back my whip, Sarah! ::gets a fireball::

Alice: ::gets Margarete's gun and shoots Regina in the head:: Bibles are for sissies.

o.o But first I should probably get her back in-character, before she kills anyone else.

**

****

Reviewers:

Special K: I just realized my story is the longest. I always thought Nights Mistress's was the longest. ::shrugs::

Glad you like the fic.

****

Gutterfiend: What villain hasn't needed an attitude adjustment, besides the misunderstood ones?

I kind of like Kain now too, although originally I thought of him as a jerk ^^;;.

****

MikoNoNyte: Alice is **not** the typical RPG heroine. What other heroine has gotten hit on in their first meeting with the hero? Well, there was Sodina…but he was nicer about it, didn't touch her (slap him, darn it! Why didn't you slap him Alice! But this is just a minor side-rant). I always thought the squealing was rather funny.

Of course Persephone would be convinced that Alice is Sarah. Who's telling her otherwise? ::Chesire cat grin:: That answer might come very soon.

I see people are starting to hate Regina now. I wonder why all of the sudden? Was it because of what she did last chapter?

You know, you signing in really confused me. I thought at first "MikoNoNyte" was a new reviewer. ^^;;

Oh yes. My point was there were no Light class human enemies. At least as far I remember. ::pause:: **Slightly** sane Light class human enemies.

****

Araschid: Hmm…I can't think of anyone he really looks like, so no comparisons…I'm just mesmerized by the glassy hair. o.o Oooh…pretty.

****

Rex: Two people were sleepy when reviewing…-.- I'm not sending you guys to sleep, am I?

****

Steel: What, you weren't a YxA fan before? ^^ YxA=Good…and children. Yay! ::goes off to play with Anne and Isaiah::


	21. Translated

**Disclaimer:**  I don't own Shadow Hearts.

**

[Alice]

            As we took in our view of the city, Fox Face turned around and walked past Yuri.  "Where are you going?" Yuri said suspiciously.

            "I'm going."

            "But why?" I asked.  Seeing Yuri's blank look, I told him, "He said he's leaving."

            "Hold on!  You expect us to go in a city when you won't?"

            "I'm not going because having a talking fox around is going to bring attention to you two, idiot."

            I reported this to Yuri, leaving out the insult.  He waved it away.  "You're not talking, you're growling.  Only Alice hears you talking, and I'd bet that's because she's a Demon Eyes."

            "Halley hears me just fine."

            "Really?  Halley can too," I said, talking to both Yuri and Fox Face at once.  It was a little confusing, having to constantly keep in mind that Yuri couldn't understand Fox Face.

            Now he was frowning as he looked down on his other half.  "Halley never mentioned you."

            "Does Halley know who I am?" Fox Face asked, directing the question to me.

            I couldn't remember, so I redirected the question to Yuri, who only shrugged.  I doubted Zhuzhen, Keith, or Margarete would have told him, so I told Fox Face, "I don't think so."

            He chuckled.  "I must've really scared him then.  You know when, the last night you guys were with them?  Well, he was off in lala land, and I decided to bring him back down to earth."

            "What did you do?" I asked, taken aback by his laugh.

            "Pounced him."  Fox Face was smirking.  "You should've seen him, he freaked out.  Of course, then Zhuzhen just **had** to clobber me with his staff, so I took off.  Came back a little while later to check.  He was wide awake."  He looked pleased with himself.

            "So how does he know Halley can hear?" Yuri pressed.

            "I just said a few words to him, and he said 'Yuri'," Fox Face explained.  "He must have recognized my voice."

            I nodded and told Yuri, "They talked the night before we left."

            "I see," Yuri said, although he still seemed suspicious.  But then again, he was impossible to persuade when it came to Fox Face.

            "You know, that's leaving quite a few details out," his other half said.  "That's getting close to an outright lie.  You shouldn't lie to your boyfriend."  His seven tails were wagging.  He was teasing me and I shook my head.

            "Oh, be quiet.  It's better than having you two fight."

            Yuri was now quite lost, his eyebrows threatening to stay raised for good.  "What are you talking about?"

            Fox Face sighed.  "As much as I love mystifying him, I can't go in the city, and you two should go **sometime** today.  Just get some food and supplies—at least two weeks'—then come back out."

            "Why?"

            "I'll be taking you to the City of Darkness."

            I relayed this to Yuri, who crossed his arms and glared at the fox.  "So now you're our self-appointed guide?"

            Fox Face lowered himself on one foreleg.  I had to stifle a laugh at how funny he looked.  "I live to serve you."

            Yuri didn't need the words to understand the gesture.  "You are the most sarcastic person I've ever met."

            Fox Face chuckled, then walked back down the steep hill.  His tails swept from side to side as he did.  His dark brown fur slowly faded and became transparent, until he had disappeared.

            I looked back at the city.  Besides the palace were other buildings that rivaled it in size; from here I could not tell what they were for.  Still…  "I think it's fine," I said finally.  "Nothing seems wrong."

            Yuri sighed in resignation.  "Fine, fine.  But if it's full of cannibals or something—"

            "Why don't you trust him for once?" I asked, pulling him along as I walked down the hill and towards the city.  His only reply was grumbling.

            The City of Air, Tripura…it sounded like an interesting place to me.

**

[Zhuzhen]

            "It's alright, Sharon," Halley said, trying to calm her down.

            "I don't…I don't like this place!  I **hate** it!"            She was starting to dissolve into tears.  Halley picked her up, letting her cry on his shoulder.

            "Let's get out of this place, quick."

            I nodded and looked around.  There was a street that we could go on, but nothing to indicate which way led to an exit…if either did.

            "Which way?"

            "We'll just have to pick one," Margarete said.  She looked between the two and pointed.  "Right."  She walked briskly, one hand on her gun.  We followed, hoping to get out of there quickly.  However, as the road continued, the bodies were still there, lying around, some piled up in corners—all had been ravaged by monsters.  Halley put a hand on Sharon's head, gently pressing her into his shirt to stop her from seeing anything.

            "What happened here…?"  Keith stopped and stared ahead.  I turned away from a young adult to see what he was looking at.

            The street had just suddenly stopped.  Both it and the buildings ended into a wall of white.  Why hadn't we seen that before?  Margarete stood in front of it, looking curiously into it.

            Halley sighed.  "Let's go back, hurry up."  I turned back, ready to follow him, but—

            "Wait!"

            I looked back.  Margarete was grinning.  "I think I know how to get there!"

            "How?"

            "We go through here!"

            We all stared at her.  Finally Keith came up to the wall and put a hand on it.  Sure enough, his hand couldn't go through.  "I don't see how that's possible.  There seems to be a barrier."

            "Ms. Spy Genius or Ms. Nut Squirrel," Halley muttered.

            Margarete shook her head.  "I don't know for sure…I've just got a gut feeling about it."  She turned to the wall.  "And didn't Leon say…we have to create the path?  That's why all four elements are needed…"  She put her hand on the wall and closed her eyes.  The hand began glowing blue, and a thin, blue line appeared in the wall…no, it wasn't a wall, but…

            Keith stepped forward and pressed his hand against it as well.  Now there was green, and both lines combined to make a turqoise one.  I joined and did the same.  The lines went wild at this, Margarete's sparking off of mine.  They were reacting to each other.

            Halley sighed, then walked forward.  Still keeping one arm and hand on Sharon, he pressed his left hand to the wall.   His line began to react with Keith's and sparks flew, all different colors surrounding us.  They became so bright I shut my eyes…

            Then quickly opened them again, as I suddenly felt pain.  Sharon screamed, and I could tell all of the others could feel the same pain throughout their bodies as I did.  It was overwhelming, too much.

            An eye watched us as we struggled with the pain.  Large and horrible, it calmly observed us, and then—

            **_I see._**

            Everything flashed white, then dimmed.  I was in a room with stone walls.  There floor felt hot on my body.  A man watched me from above.

            "How ironic," he said.  "To have looked down on mortals and now…is this her idea of a joke?"

I sat up, looking at him in the eye.  He smirked.

            "Tell me…do you recognize me?  Or is that another effect of—"  He stopped abruptly and frowned.  "Damn."

            Recognize him?  I looked him up and down, but I didn't know who he was.  "Another effect of what?"

            He shook his head.  "Never mind.  It's no good talking to you, so you might as well wake up."

            I sat up again, this time in a bed.  A woman smiled at me, her short brown hair flying around as she approached me.  "Good.  You're awake."

            "Hm…where am I?"

            "You're in heaven," she replied cheerfully.

            "WHAT?!"

**

            Fox Face padded quietly into the Graveyard.  He stopped for a few moments, glancing at the group of Earth, Fire, and Water gravestones, then entered the gates.

            "I take it they're in Tripura?"

            The kitsune nodded to Hyuga.  "Yes.  I just noticed something."

            "What?"

            "Are the gravestones glowing?"

            Underneath the hood, Hyuga nodded.  "I noticed that as well.  Not quite glowing though…they're faint.  Very faint."

            "It's not just those three, is it."

            "No."  Hyuga sat up and leaned against the tree now, folding his arms.  "It's all six."

            "I thought there weren't any more fusion souls," Fox Face said, sounding uncertain.

            Hyuga shook his head.  "There aren't, not from the gravestones."

            At this, the fox's ears perked up.  "If it's not fusion souls, why are they glowing?"

            He could hear the other's barely audible sigh.  "Regina is a catalyst, it seems…she's breaking the bonds."

            "Bonds?"

            "The bonds on me.  There will be a chain reaction, of course.  Sarah is beginning to come free as well.  Soon the others were follow."

            Fox Face rested, lying down.  "Why are there bonds on you?"

            "They were created by Lethe…"

            "Lethe?  What's that?"

            For a moment Hyuga did not respond, and Fox Face lifted his head to look directly at him, waiting for the answer.  Then Hyuga sighed, this time loud and exasperated.  "I cannot answer.  I am still bound."

            Fox Face did not press the issue and rested his head on his forelegs.  _So it means he can't say certain things?  I wonder…_

**

            "This really pisses me off," Yuri said offhand.  He had spread out all of our combined money on the bed and was just staring at it.  "All this, and we're **poor**.  We're bankrupt."

            "We'll find a way to get some money," I said.

            "I guess we **could** steal some," he mused.  "I don't think I've gotten too rusty…what?"  He had noticed I was glaring at him.

            "We are not stealing."

            "We only have five coins.  It cost twenty to get us one room for one night.  And I think these ones are worth less than the ones we gave him," he said, holding the coin up and looking at it suspiciously.  "There's no way we're selling our armor or weapons."

            "I didn't say we'd do that."

            He stretched out his legs and looked at me from his bed.  I was sitting on the other one, just three feet away from him.  "So, what's your idea?"

            "We'll work, of course."

            "Of course."

            Yuri's tone was sarcastic, and he looked back down at the pile of useless currency again.  I laid down on my bed and gazed at the off-white ceiling.  The room was nice, although a little small.

            "Stealing would be a lot faster, you know."

            "It's still wrong."

            "Come on.  We saved the world, didn't we?  Stealing would just be evening out the karma."

            "You're forgetting I don't believe in that."

            "Oh."  There was silence for a minute, and I closed my eyes, thinking the conversation over.  "…so what do Christians believe in?"

            "Thou shalt not steal."

            "Yeah, but there's gotta be some kind of loophole…"

            I found myself smiling.  "Go to sleep Yuri."

            "Alright…"  I heard the window being opened, and then the light went out.  A fresh cool wind blew into the room.  I was comfortable even though fully clothed, and I  was ready to fall asleep until Yuri asked, "Could we push the beds together?"

            I took a pillow and chucked it in his general direction.

**

**Author's Note:**  Pretty short…but I'm going on vacation this weekend and wanted to finish it before then.  I'm rushing this, sorry.

**

**Reviews:**

**Someone:**  I don't think I ever mentioned Dragon Wolf in the story…maybe as a part of the A/N.  It was a reviewer's invented fusion soul.

**Jrdragon2003:**  I'm glad you like the story.  I'm not sure though what you mean by not meeting Yuri's fighting potential…he's won all the fights he's been in so far except for two (right?  I can't even remember my own story ^^;;).  One is against the new villain, which usually **is** more powerful than the hero, and the other one is against Fox Face—basically himself (except Fox Face had a little trick up his…um…foreleg).  I will admit that the Seraphic Radiance has probably been understated, because I've never gotten Seraphic Radiance in my game.  I'm trying to get him this time though, and maybe it'll be more accurate once I have him.

**Greyfriars:**  I actually made Sharon's spiritual world in this chapter a lot shorter than it was originally planned.  But I think they will be going back there sometime, which is when they will go down the left side of the street ^^.

The section with OOC Alice was heavily edited by Alice herself once she got back to normal.  She was appalled at some of the things she'd done.

Alice:  You made me do it!

^^  Anyways…OOC Alice made a certain offer to Yuri, had the whip as a…um…toy…and the scene ended with Yuri wrapped in the cat-o'-nine-tails and yelling for Alice to be turned back to normal.  With Halley all recording it on video camera.  But then normal Alice destroyed the video camera with Blessed Light and demanded a rewrite.

Alice:  This is still PG-13, if you've forgotten.

Dang.

**Araschid:**  I never have the romantic scenes ready when you want them ^^;.

**Steel:**  Yay!  We've made a convert.

If it helps you on the children thing, over the past six months my little brother has morphed from innocent to a jealous little fiend.

**MikoNoNyte:**  Hey, armor is uncomfortable to sleep in, you know?  And luckily Yuri kept from going overkill.  (Only because he knew how mad Alice would be if he destroyed their gear.)

I've read Inuyasha, and that was part of why I put it in there.  Besides, it's just funny.

Well thought out?  Um…I can't claim that I thought it out beforehand.  I rarely think things out.  But the idea that Yuri wasn't able to understand Fox Face has been in my head…since Fox Face was introduced in my story.

Kawaii!  Kawaii!  Kawaii!   ::grins::

Hyuga told, which is almost the same thing.  Alice trusts Fox Face…when has he led them to enemies?  Granted, he's tried to kill Yuri…

Alice:  …

I'll shut up.

Alice:  What's hentai mean?

Oh, it usually means pervert.  Why?

Alice:  So she's a happy…with Yuri in her…?!  ::twitches::  ::twitches violently::  ::falls over twitching::

::Sigh::  We'll need another talisman.

**Nights Mistress:**  That will be explained about what she's seen.  In my story, Yuri's Graveyard would've been the same no matter what age he became a Harmonixer.  Except for possibly the Masks (but this story is going to ignore them).

My story's about…twice yours?  I couldn't believe it when I actually read the numbers.

**Rex:**  Heh heh…sorry.  I was just joking.  Glad you like it.  Sharon's weapon was actually chosen last minute…I'm not planning for her to have to use it much.  She probably won't be in battles that often, since the others would try to keep her protected as much as possible.

**Ast:**  Thanks for the review.


	22. Heaven

**Disclaimer:**  I don't own Shadow Hearts.

**

[Yuri]

            "Alice?  Are you awake?"

            After repeating the question and waiting three minutes, I was sure she was asleep.  Quietly I got up and went to work.  First making sure the door was locked, then propping a chair from the table under the handle.  There was no reason someone would want to get in here, and now there was no way a common thief could get in.

            I squeezed out the already open window, stifling a curse when I got stuck for a moment.  Finally I fused into Death Emperor, making my body smaller.  I tumbled out the window and barely had time to open my wings before crashing on the ground.  I undid the fusion, jumping up and glancing around to make sure no one had seen.  The alley was empty except for some garbage and, satisfied, I left.

            The plan was simple; it involved the one surefire loophole in 'Thou shall not steal'.  If I stole from a thief, well, it wasn't his belongings, so I wouldn't be stealing.  Alice couldn't fault me for that, right?

            So, now all I had to do was find some thieves.

**

[Keith]

            "Yeah, she scared me too," Halley admitted.  "'You're in heaven'—what the hell kind of greeting is that?"

            "I thought maybe I had died," Zhuzhen said.  "What did you think Keith?"

            "That it didn't look much like heaven."

            "But what do you mean?"  Selphie walked ahead of us, leading to where both Margarete and Sharon were.  Her brown hair swished back and forth, rather distracting actually.   "This **is** heaven.  How can it not look like itself?"

            "I dunno…you just kind of expect angels.  I don't see any," Halley said, looking around the hallway.  It was full of flowers and plants of all different colors, fully in bloom, almost like the building was a garden.

            "Don't see any?"  Selphie giggled.  "There's one right in front of you."  She turned to face him and grinned, walking backwards with ease.

            "You?"  Halley sounded skeptical.  It did seem rather incredible.

            "Yes.  I was created by God to serve Him!"

            Perhaps ruling for two hundred years had made me prideful, but I could not see why Selphie was so exuberant about being a servant.  "Are we almost there?"

            She turned and indicated a door on our right.  Reaching it, she straightened, dusting off her yellow skirt, and gave a little cough before knocking on the door.  "May I come in?"

            I recalled her knocking on our door once before bouncing in like a rabbit and startling Halley.  Why was she being polite for Margarete and Sharon?  Margarete called out a "yes" and Selphie walked in.

            "Good morning," she said.  "Are you alright?"

            "Hey, why does Margarete get a fancier room?" Halley whispered to me.  It was true that our room had been plainer.   Margarete's had a large window in one wall, showing the dawn, framed with blue curtains.  There were many flowers in here, when there'd been none in our room; but I didn't mind this difference.  Both of the two beds looked very comfortable though.  **That** was something I wanted.  But one of the beds was empty…  "Where's Sharon?"  This time Halley said it for Selphie and a sleepy Margarete to hear.

            "Was she in here?  She must've left before…"  Margarete yawned and then rubbed at her eyes, her medium length hair tousled and tangled.  She tried to tame it with her hands but found it impossible.

            "The girl?  She should be back in a few minutes.  Is there anything you need, Lamia?" Selphie asked Margarete.

            "Lamia?" Margarete echoed.  She looked extremely confused for a moment, and then shook her head, messing up her hair even more.  "That's not my name."

            "Oh!  Really?  I was afraid you were her—um, um, I mean, no disrespect to your clan or anything—"

            "I'm not from a clan."

            Selphie broke into a grin.  "Oh, we thought you were Lamia.  You look so much like her."

            "She's from the Water clan?" I asked.

            Selphie nodded, then tilted her head.  "You don't know?  She's the ruler of the Water clan."

            "We don't know much about here," Zhuzhen told her.  "We're from Earth."

            The angel smacked herself in the forehead, surprising all of us.  "Of course!  I forgot about that.  You must think I'm such a goof."  She laughed, seeming very relieved to find that Margarete was not at all related to the Water clan.

            I heard a click and the door slowly opened.  Sharon walked in, wearing a plain white dress.  Halley folded his arms when he noticed this.  "What happened to your clothes?"

            "Oh, they're right next to the bed, with her things," Selphie said helpfully, walking over to the other bed and holding them up.

            "Halley!  Halley!"  Sharon was smiling.  "Guess what?"  She was almost bouncing up and down.

            "What?"

            "I'm an angel!"

            I could see the dumbfounded expression slowly form on Halley's face.  "You're not…dead, are you?"

            The girl laughed easily.  "Of course not!  Angels aren't dead."

            "Alright…"  Even though he still seemed confused, he didn't ask anymore about it.  "Hey Sharon, are you fine after what happened?  In your world?"

            Her smile was small now, but still there.  She clasped her hands together and said, "I didn't like it, but…I feel warm here."  Sharon brought her hand up to her chest.  "I know everything's fine."

            "Well, that's good, but shouldn't we start looking for Yuri and Alice?"  Margarete had ransacked her bag for a brush and was now yanking her hair with it.  She directed her next question to the angel.  "Have you heard anything about—"

            "Yuri Hyuga, a Harmonixer of the Dark class, and Alice Elliot, a Light class who's a 'Demon Eyes'?"

            Margarete stopped brushing and stared at Selphie.  "How did you know that?"  Then she looked at the rest of us.  "Did you guys tell her…?"

            "No, they didn't.  But I'm an angel," Selphie said, as if this explained everything.

            "So, if you know so much, do you know where they are?"

            Selphie was silent for a minute, and then shook her head.  "No.  I don't know."  She opened her light green eyes and said, "But I doubt they're here.  We would know immediately if there was a Dark class person in Eden."

            "Eden?  You mean, like the Garden of Eden?"  I did not know what Margarete was talking about.  I recalled Alice mentioning something like it once but did not know what it meant.

            "Then you know.  This is Eden, also known as the City of Light."  She paused and then said, "You want to see something interesting?"

            "What?"

            "Just follow me!"

**

[Yuri]

            I was whistling to myself as I walked back into the alleyway.  It was still dark, and I quickly fused before flying up to the open window.  After a little trouble getting Death Emperor's wings folded right, I rolled into the room and undid the fusion.

            A sudden light lit the room.  Startled, I turned to the source—and saw Alice, wide awake at her bed.  She was holding the ball of light in her hand, which was so bright I had to squint at her.  I knew she was looking at the bag I held.

            "Um, am I in trouble?"

            She closed her hand, making the room plunge into darkness.  "Alice?"

            There was no response.

            _I'm in big trouble…_

**

            Syth opened his eyes slowly, trying to adjust to the bright sunlight.  He groaned and rolled over, making light shine across the room with his crystal hair.  Then he felt long nails go down his arm, just hard enough to feel uncomfortable.  Regina's silky voice said, "Wake up.  Now."

            Startled, he sat up, realizing quickly that he was in Regina's room.  She was watching him with a neutral expression.  His eyes widened as he remembered.  He must have fallen unconscious.  She had roused him.  For what?  More punishment?  Syth tried to back away, fearing what would undoubtedly come next.

            But Regina's red eyes suddenly showed concern.  Then they changed to a dark blue and the voice became deeper as Kain said, "There.  I know she's done something to you, now will you tell me what?"

            Regina's room had become a room at an inn.  It had all been one of Kain's illusions.

            "Come on Syth, just tell me."

            "Get out."  Syth's arms were shaking.

            "What did she show you?"

            "I don't want to talk about it."

            Syth heard an aggravated sigh from the older man.  "Fine then.  But even Pers noticed last night—mind you, she hasn't noticed much else with the state she's in."

            "Then, she's getting better?"

            "Gods!  Will you focus on yourself, not her?  I swear you two are impossible.  One's going 'Regina this, Regina that,' and the other is going 'Pers this, Pers that'.  I'm surprised I haven't gone mad yet."

            Syth listened as Kain continued his rant against his fate stuck traveling with the two 'love birdbrains', chuckling softly at some of the more humorous ravings.  He felt himself calming down, realizing his friend hadn't meant any harm.

            "Well, at least I've made one of you smile," Kain noted.  "Let me see if I can get Pers to loosen up and stop sounding like Regina."

            "She's still doing that?" Syth asked, surprised.

            Kain nodded.  "It's uncanny sometimes.  If I put an illusion over her, you probably wouldn't be able to tell her from the real thing.  Of course, she parrots Regina sometimes when she's **normal**, so…"

            There was a sharp knock on the door, and Persephone demanded, "If you're both awake, get ready!"

            The illusionist glared at the door even once her footsteps faded.  "I like her a lot better when she's normal.  Gods, I have two and a half millennia over her.  Didn't she ever learn to respect her elders?"

            "She'll be back to normal soon," Syth said hopefully.

            "Better be," Kain grumbled.

**

[Keith]

            Selphie stopped in the middle of the hallway.  On the right side there was a large set of stairs and she went halfway down, then motioned for us to follow.

            Once we were all standing on the stairs, the angel said, "Turn around."

            Zhuzhen turned and then almost fell backwards down the stairs, exclaiming, "What?"

            I looked.  There was a large painting with a gold frame.  In the center was a tree with pink blossoms.  Alice…or a woman that looked like her, leaned against it.  She smiled at whoever was painting, her long blond hair cascading over her white dress.

            "That looks just like Alice," Halley said wonderingly.

            Selphie nodded.  "Sharon described her a bit and I thought that it reminded me of this painting.  This is of Sarah, one of God's most trusted angels."

            "What did she do?" Sharon asked.

            "She was the destroying angel."

            I turned at the new voice to see a man walking up the stairs.  "Sarah, the destroying angel…but then she was destroyed."

            Selphie bowed to the brown-haired man.  When she straightened, she told us, "This is Michael, one of the six archangels."

            "Six?" Halley echoed.  "I thought there were seven.  Isn't six supposed to be the devil's number…"  He trailed off as the man focused his dark blue eyes on him and he realized that that might have been a bad thing to say.

            "There are six archangels," Michael said.  "No more are needed."

            I instantly disliked him, though I wasn't sure why.  But that cold voice…

            "I don't…understand though.  It doesn't belong here.  It's…it's not right."

            I broke off glaring at the archangel to see Zhuzhen put a hand on Margarete's shoulder.  She had never broken her gaze from the painting, not even to see Michael.

            "Margarete?  Hello?  Anyone in there?"  Halley waved his hand over her face and she started.

            "Let's get out of here," she said decisively.  "Yuri's not in here, Alice isn't, let's go."  The spy turned to Selphie and asked, "Where's the nearest town or city?"

            "The City of Water."

            "Is there anywhere we can buy a map here?"

            "Um, well…"

            "Here," Michael said.  He took a piece of parchment out and tossed it over to me.  Surprised, I barely caught it and unrolled it.  "Use this—and make sure you don't get lost.  That would be a pity."

            I narrowed my eyes at the sarcasm in his voice but examined the map.  There were six dots, one of each color: black, white, red, yellow, green and blue.  Black and white were furthest from each other, with white in the far east and black in the far west.  Blue was west of white and very close, with yellow northwest of it, green west, and red southwest.

            "That's all you need to find the different cities.  Since Water is closest, you might want to try there," Selphie said, pointing out the blue dot.  It was easy to figure out.  Each city corresponded with the color of its element.

            "Then, let's go there," Margarete said.  But she sounded a bit uncertain, and she kept looking back as Selphie led us out of the room.

**

**Author's Note:** Selphie is an FF8 reference.  I wanted to write a fanfic that put various members of the cast in either heaven or hell, so I decided what the heck, stick Selphie in here.  Although she was supposed to be a devil at first, then later become an angel (it's a whole long story, and you're probably not interested) in the fic.

…I can't think of anything to say.  There's probably a lot of things I'm supposed to say, but I can't think of it.

**

**Reviewers:**

**RinoaOHeartilly:**  Well, Alice is kind of ticked off at Yuri for the next chapter…maybe towards the end a little Yuri/Alice.  You might hate me a little later in the fic if you hate Regina.  (Actually, it's…I'm not sure how many ch.s it'll come in -.-)  Anyways, thanks for your reviews!

**Araschid:**  I wanted to get one naughty Yuri quote in there.  'Let's push the beds together' worked.

**MikoNoNyte:**  Halley **will** be getting very pissed off at Yuri later in the story.  (mini-spoiler I guess, so I can't tell you why.)  Yes, Foxie has a mean streak, and so does Yuri.  Foxie just had a better opportunity for the mean streak to strike.  I also kind of imagined an older brother/younger brother relationship; Halley doesn't really have anyone to look up to (although Yuri might not be the best role model), and I think young Yuri says in one of his conversations that he wanted a younger brother or sister.  Aww…and now we have Foxie pouncing Halley!  :p

…I've got to remember to look up all my mythology before I use it.  Your quotes about Lethe got me confused; the only other name I recognized was Styx.  I had to look them all up.  ^^;;  But yes, he did choose to.

Actually, I once got the idea that maybe he was used by a gang (okay, what gang wouldn't want their own monster at their disposal?)  But most likely he was a thief, especially since he didn't seem to mind their money getting stolen in London too much.

Hmm…what part did you laugh at?

**Greyfriars:**  Yuri always tries to find the easy way.

**Ex-Xox Plus Three:**  Did you have a different pen name before, or am I just getting confused?

The Fire tower bit was a dream.  He really was in heaven (or Eden).

**Steelers:**  My trip was pretty fun…but now I'm back in school.  x.x  They gave me homework on the first day, those sadistic teachers.  Glad you liked the lines.


	23. Navigation

**Disclaimer:  **Don't own Shadow Hearts.  Don't really own Kaz, which I stole from my sister (sh, don't tell).

**

[Alice]

            Steam rose from the plates.  I stabbed the vegetables with one of my utensils and examined the blue-green plant.  I blew away some of the steam and then ate it.  It was crisp, and not really that bad.  What about the meat…?

            Yuri was swirling his food into a mass of blue, brown, green, and yellow.  This was the most fascinating thing to him.  The meat was starting to spin around and around.

            "Um…"

            "Yes?" I asked, impaling the eggs.

            "Are you still mad at me?" Yuri looked up at me, saw my expression, and realized he'd better defend himself.  "We needed money.  And I didn't steal anything, it wasn't theirs in the first place."

            "I suppose you were taking it from thieves then?" I asked.  "Did you think I'd be mad at you for it?"

            "No."

            "So why didn't you just tell me?"

            The food started swirling again.  "Cause you'd probably say no."

            "I see," I said dryly.  "So you thought I wouldn't approve, but you also thought that if you went behind my back to do it, I'd be perfectly happy."

            His utensil was grinding against his plate.  I let him think about it and looked around.  The restaurant was near full, and conversations were going on all around.  I heard someone mentioning angels and thought they were talking about the pictures on the walls of winged people—until they mentioned devils as well.  I didn't see any that resembled one.

            "Alright.  I get why you're mad at me—"

            "I'm not mad at you for stealing," I interrupted.

            He looked up at me confused.  "You're not."

            "I woke up last night and you were nowhere in the room.  I had no idea where you were or why you were gone.  We're in a strange place and don't know how dangerous it is.  I'm mad at you for scaring me!"  The stealing part had annoyed me, but not near as much as waking up in the middle of the night and realizing I was all alone.

            He winced but then said hopefully, "So you were worried about me?"

            "That doesn't mean you should press your luck now."

            "Sorry."  He picked up some of the vegetables and asked, "How does this taste?"

            "It's good."  Yuri popped it in his mouth and his eyebrows shot up.  He began searching for more vegetables on his plate.

            "Yuri, there are utensils."

            "So?"  He picked up another one with his fingers and chewed on it.

            "Never mind."  I chose to focus on my food instead.

**

[Margarete]

            We got our things and started to leave.  Selphie was still chatting away—I wasn't sure, but I thought she might be flirting with Halley.  I tuned her out and slung my bag over my shoulder.  In it was some money and food, both provided by the angels.  I also had Alice's book, the one Yuri had borrowed from Roger Bacon.

            "Everyone ready?" I asked.

            Sharon looked around and nodded.  "Yep.  I want to see the City of Water.  It sounds like fun."

            "Don't see how this is going to be fun," Zhuzhen muttered.

            After a few minutes, I was tapping my foot impatiently, wondering how much longer they were going to make me wait.  Even though Sharon seemed enthusiastic to go, she was also lingering behind to talk with Selphie.  I could hear them talking about angels.

            The angels thing confused me.  I was an atheist, so I'd never read too deeply into the bible.  But Eden, angels, and the archangel Michael—they were all from the bible.  Hadn't Selphie said that this was heaven?  It didn't seem like it to me.  It was nice, but no Paradise.  It was nothing like what I'd ever thought it would look like.  But then, how would I know?

            "Hey Selphie."  The brunette looked up with a smile.  "Where's God?"

            She looked surprised at the abrupt question, but answered quickly, "He's everywhere.  God is in all things."

            "So is there anywhere you can see him?"

            Selphie's smile faded.  The teenager looked wistful.  "Only archangels and a few of the higher-ranking angels have seen him.  I'll have to wait for my Absolution…unless I become another Sarah, but that's near impossible."

            "What did Sarah do that was so great?" I wondered.

            "She was one of God's most trusted angels.  She did many things in the war—made many victories.  One of the greatest was at the Fire Clan's palace, when she sealed Regina and her servants into the tower.  But then…she was killed by Nis's sin."

            _Nis's sin?_  "You mean Hyuga right?"

            "It didn't have a name."

            _It.  Maybe it's a good thing Yuri's not with us—he'd probably get all depressed if he heard Hyuga was considered an 'it'._  "Did he—it—have a child?"

            Selphie looked perplexed at this.  "If it had, the offspring would have been trapped with Regina.  Unless it mated with a mortal…"

            God!  'Mated'?  She's talking like Hyuga was an animal!  But it sounds like he at least looked human…

            "So Sarah was a general of some sort?" Keith asked, bringing us away from the subject of Hyuga.  He looked uncomfortable, as did Halley.

            Selphie shook her head.  "In times of war, the archangels lead the armies.  Sarah worked mostly on her own.  By the time of the war, she was considered as high in status as one of the archangels and was given orders directly from God."

            _Status…so they're organized somehow…archangels are highest…Sarah was right next to them…I suppose Selphie's probably at the bottom somewhere._  "Hey, how long have you been an angel?" I asked out of curiosity.

            "I was born one," she said simply.  I didn't know what to say to that.

**

[Alice]

            "You think they accept Guild Cards?" Yuri wondered as we walked in the store.

            "I hope not," I said.  Easily I could see Yuri shouting 'Ten off, c'mon…' I smiled at the memory of him breaking Roger Bacon's machine.  Twice.

            "Damn.  Forgot we don't have our cards.  Oh well, they probably didn't accept them anyway."  Yuri looked around at the shelves full of packaged goods and camping supplies and shifted the bag of coins onto his other shoulder.  The coins clinked together and I looked around nervously.  There was another problem about stealing.  What if any of the people Yuri had stolen from were here and recognized him?  Or what if there was an officer of some sort, would we be arrested out of suspicion?

            But when I looked around, no one was paying any attention to us.  They were all involved in their own business, buying items and in some cases trying to sell them back.  The owner was dark-skinned and a good haggler it seemed, to tell from the disappointed expressions his customers had when they walked away.

            And yet I noticed as I walked with Yuri that there were glances in our direction.  Every time I tried to look back at the person, they were immediately back to whatever they'd been doing before, trying not to get **our** attention.

            Once I saw the owner watching us, I knew whom to ask.  I left Yuri to choose our food as I walked up to the counter, where the shopkeeper was carefully cleaning.  "Excuse me sir, are we causing you any trouble?"

            "No miss, you aren't doing any harm."

            I bit my lip.  "I just thought that my companion and I have been getting a lot of funny looks and I don't know why."

            His dark eyes widened and he put a heavy arm on the counter as he leaned towards me.  "There's a rumor going around that he's—well, don't you know?"  My blank expression must have been answer enough.  "That he's—just look at him.  Doesn't he look like anyone?"

            "Like who?"

            "Like Nis's heir!  The kitsuune-child!" he said in a harsh whisper.

            _They think he's Hyuga._  "But isn't he dead?"

            "Maybe, maybe not," the owner said mulishly.  Lamia said he died, but there was no body.  And, Hyuga was the only one I ever heard of who could change into a monster.  Last night, they say a man turned into a wolf and a bird."

            _Lobos and Seravi.  Yuri, what were you doing…?_

            "So tell me now.  I got two questions for you.  If he's not Hyuga, is he his son or something?  Someone said Regina could've had a baby."

            "He's related, but not through…"  I was about to say 'not through Regina', but I didn't know if that was true or not.  Could Yuri be a descendent of Regina too?  That might explain why she wanted him.  "…that is, it's very distant."

            "Alright.  And what does he think about Tripura."

            "What do you mean?"

            We were interrupted by a young redhead who scooted two cans of vegetables and some bread onto the counter.  "Hey Kaz," the man greeted, taking five coins.  "Tell your mother I said hi."

            "Kay."  The child stacked the large cans and then carried them in both arms under his chin.

            "I mean," the owner continued after the boy had left, "does he hate it?  Does he have any grudge against the clan?"

            This bewildered me.  "We don't know anyone in the clan."

            He grunted with a suspicious look at Yuri, so I knew he didn't believe me.  Still, I gave him a polite smile as I walked back to Yuri, my temper rising.  "Hey Alice—Ow!"  Yuri jumped and then held his right foot.  "What was that for?"

            "You fused."

            "No I—"

            "Last night?"

            His face assumed a very guilty expression.  "I only fused four times—"

            "Four!  I thought it was two!"

            "Uh…well, it's still only four."

            "Which was enough to start rumors that you're Hyuga."

            "I am—oh, we're talking about that one."

            I buried my face in my hands, feeling aggravated.  "Do you want to be identified with him?  Honestly…"

            "What's so bad about that?"

            Instead of answering, I simply stomped on his other foot and then stalked outside, ignoring all the looks** I** was getting now.

            I sighed and sat down in the street.  The heat of the baking sun did nothing to improve my mood.  Why had he fused when others were sure to see him?  Had he even been thinking?  _Well, no,_ I reflected, _this is Yuri, and he **is** impulsive.  _But still, the people who had heard about us had been afraid…_We're not trying to cause any trouble…_

"Er…got the food."  Yuri stood in front of me, offering a nervous smile.  "You want to get out of here?"

            "Yes, let's find Fox Face," I said, trying to sound cheerful.  As soon as we left this city, the rumors would start to die down, and as long as Yuri didn't fuse again, no one would notice us.

            After we got out of the city, we settled down for lunch.  Yuri fused into Death Emperor to open the cans, stabbing the cover with his claws and then peeling it back.  I wrinkled my nose at the small red fruits moving around in the syrup.  "What are those?"

            Yuri first scraped the lid off his claws and then disembodied.  "Dunno.  I was just picking stuff at random."  He picked one from the can and ate it.  While chewing, his eyes suddenly bulged and he swallowed quickly.

            "What is it?"

            "Try one," he said, holding the can out.  I took one and put it in my mouth.  At first it tasted bland—until I bit into it.  There was an explosion of tangy juice and I covered my mouth in surprise.  "Packs a punch, doesn't it?"

            "That was a surprise."   I reached for another one, though.

            "So you got the food.  That was quick."  I turned around as Fox Face walked up to us.  I smiled as Yuri groaned and Fox Face nipped at him in retaliation.  Then he sat down on his haunches.  "I thought it'd take you longer.  How'd you do it?"

            I glanced at Yuri and then back at the can.  "You tell him," I said before picking out a third of the tasty red fruit.

**

[Margarete]

            "What do you mean, IT'S NOT WORKING?!"

            Everyone stared at me.  Keith actually looked a bit flustered as he held out the compass.  "Just look at it," he directed.

            The arrow, instead of pointing straight in one direction, was lazily moving around.  Great.  If there was one thing a spy hated, it was faulty equipment.  "Why isn't it working?"

            "Because there's no magnetic field."

            I looked at Sharon like she was crazy.  Which really, I thought she was.  "There's no magnetic field?"  She nodded.  "But isn't this world supposed to be like Earth?"

            "In size," she clarified.  "It's not much like the world any other way.  Did you know this world is flat?"

            Now everyone was looking at her.  I mean, really.  How could a world be flat?  "Sharon, where did you hear this?"

            Innocently she answered, "God told me."  
            _They gave her drugs.  She's hallucinating._  "And God says we're on a flat world."  She nodded.  I buried my face in my hands.  "Sharon, that's impossible.  The world can't be flat.  Even the Greeks knew that."

            "But this is a different world," she reminded me.

            _Count to ten before screaming…one, two, four, eight, nine—_Something occurred to me and I looked at the girl hopefully.  "You can talk to God?"

            "Uh-huh."

            "And God is omniscient?"

            She looked confused for a second, but before I could explain her expression cleared and she nodded.

            "So, can you ask Him where Alice and Yuri are?"  Now Halley and Zhuzhen looked at me like I was crazy.  Keith seemed interested in her answer.  Hey, if it worked…

            "He says that He won't tell us."

            "What?  Why not?!"

            "Because we're not supposed to know."

            "I-I-not supposed to know?  Are you saying that we're not supposed to find them?"

            "He says we'll find them on our own."

            "We can't bribe Him with a few lambs or something?"

            Her eyes widened, and then they narrowed as her expression hardened.  "No, you can't.  We should go now."  She chose a direction—told by God, I supposed—and started walking.  Halley immediately followed her.

            "I think you made her mad," Zhuzhen noted.

            I shook my head.  "Does she really think she can talk to God?  That she's an angel?  For heaven's sake…"

            "We were just there," the Adept reminded me with a chuckle.  "I don't quite believe it myself, but you can't deny there's something interesting going on.  Let's wait and see what happens."  He began walking as well.

            "And what about you?" I asked Keith.

            He shrugged.  "I just wonder…if Sharon is telling the truth, those angels back there were of God too, weren't they?"

            "Yeah, if she is…"

            "So, why would God first help us and then not help us?"

            "That just shows someone's either delusional or a liar," I said, looking back in the direction of Eden.  "How they convinced Sharon is beyond me, but—" I shrugged.  She was just a child.  Children were the most easily fooled.

**

[Alice]

            "You **idiot**," Fox Face said emphatically.

            "He can't hear you," I reminded Fox Face.

            "So tell him he's an idiot."

            "No."

            "Damn censorship," Fox Face muttered.  "Tell him not to fuse anymore then.  We'll have enough trouble without everyone knowing we're a descendent of Hyuga."

            "Yeah, yeah, I know."  Yuri searched in the can again and got the last fruit.  "You want the syrup, or should I dump it out?"

            I was about to say 'throw it out' when I noticed Fox Face eyeing the can.  "Do you want it?"

            "Yes," he said eagerly.  I took the can and set it in front of the fox.  He shoved his snout in and I could hear the syrup sloshing around.

            Yuri shook his head.  "I didn't know dogs liked fruit."

            "You're lucky I'm an omnivore," Fox Face growled.  I wondered how long it would take for them to actually get along.

            "Hey, you done yet?" Yuri asked after a minute.

            "Almost…" I relayed his answer as Fox Face dove in for the last swallows.  Yuri stood up and stretched, apparently ready to start walking.  I stood too and brushed my skirt off.  We walked away from Tripura, following the afternoon sun.

            Soon though I was poked on the leg with cold metal.  I turned around and then bit my lip, trying to keep the smile from coming.  "Don't tell me…it's stuck?"

            Fox Face nodded, seeming very embarrassed.  The can was a snug muzzle on him and he couldn't even speak.  Once Yuri saw, he started laughing and I noticed Fox Face's tails drooping—until I stomped Yuri's foot to make him stop, at which point they began wagging again.

            _To make one happy, you have to hurt the other—I don't think they're ever going to get along._

**

**Author's Note:**  This was actually supposed to be one huge long chapter, but then I realized that I was either: a) making you guys impatient waiting, or b) letting you forget the story existed.  So unlike what I've been doing recently with rotating POVs every chapter, next chapter will still be Alice and Margarete (although Hyuga and Persephone/Syth/Kain might also make it in there).  The next part will be taking place three days after this chapter.

            I'm very behind with stories.  Mostly this is because of school.  I have five courses that are either AP or Honors  ^^;;.  My older sister thinks I'm insane.  The other reason is because I have finally discovered the joy known as Koudelka.

            I'd been looking for Koudelka for a while now, and I finally found it this last weekend for ten bucks.  So of course, I've been playing it.  Which, um…delays the writing fanfics as well ^^;.  But I **love** Koudelka's attitude.  And I got my first glimpse of good ol' Bacon last night (but I had no clue what he was babbling about).  Will I see him again???

            So Beauty and the Beast and Faithless should be updated…any time I have enough time to.  However, Anne's story might not be updated for a long while.  The computer the next chapter is on is broken again (and I didn't make a backup again -.-).  Same problem as last time, so the chapter's probably perfectly fine and I don't feel like rewriting from scratch when there's already a (nearly finished) product.  So it will be updated…probably the day that computer is fixed.

**

**Reviewers:**

**MikoNoNyte:**  Actually, in the FF8 fanfic Irvine was planned to be an angel who got in trouble frequently for chasing after the female angels  ::snicker::.  Alice, well…geez, am I making her too forgiving?  All he got was three stomped feet.

Er…you hate Michaels?  My baby brother's named Michael…and so are two of my uncles.  ^^;  So I don't really consider Michael's bad, but it is the name of an archangel.

Syth and Kain will probably have another discussion next chapter.  It should explain more of what's going on with Pers.

**Greyfriars:**  I kind of like angels, but I have to agree with something my stepmom said about hell having the more interesting people.

**Steel:**  …I really made her too forgiving, didn't I?

**Rinoa:**  It's not like he'll end up with Regina.  (Has anyone seen a story where the hero and the villainess are in love **without** one of them dead by the end?)  Just you might not like that scene.

**Nights Mistress:**  You're catching on…

**Ex-xox Plus Three:**  Which Rex?


	24. Mnemosyne

**Disclaimer:  **Don't own Shadow Hearts.

**

**Author's Note:**  Three days after last chapter…same POVs…some of this written with zero proofreading (enjoy that part :p).  Longer author's note shall follow (tomorrow)!

**

[Alice]

            "You know, Fox Face…I've been thinking."

            Fox Face turned away from the cooking meat to look at me.  "What?"

            "Are you a kitsuune because Hyuga was?"  At first I had thought that Fox Face had taken the form of a fox because of Yuri's mask.  But since hearing Hyuga was called a 'kitsuune-child', I wondered…

            Fox Face sighed.  "Yes.  Nis bedded a kitsuune."  It was obvious even he was uncomfortable with the idea.

            "But Yuri told me once about kitsuunes disguising themselves as humans.  Why didn't you do that at Tripura?"

            At this, his eyes flashed with anger and he quickly turned his head away.  "Yuri's rejected only that he's monster, not that he's human.  He keeps what he wants and I get stuck with the refuse."

            His frame was trembling slightly. I reached out and petted him, feeling the tension he held.  "You don't hate him, do you?"

            "I shouldn't—I know I shouldn't, but how does he expect me to forgive him?"  I was confused by this.  From the Yuri and Fox Face interaction all day (full of the usual swears and insults) I hadn't gotten the impression that Yuri was trying to apologize for anything.  The kitsuune moved closer, letting me scratch under his chin.  "…But, I guess it's fine," he sighed.

            "What are you doing?"  Yuri was back from his business in the bushes, looking between the two of us.  "You're letting the meat burn."

            Startled, I rushed to the fire and set the meat off.  Yuri was right; the meat was a little black.  "Sorry, I lost track."

            "What the hell is that look for?" Fox Face demanded.

            Yuri was watching Fox Face closely, almost suspiciously.  "What were you two doing?"  He tried to make it sound innocently curious.  Too much so, and Fox Face groaned.

            "Don't tell me you're jealous."

            "What'd he say?"  This had become the most common question in the last three days.

            "Yuri…what did you think we were doing?"

            "You were petting him, and—"  Yuri shrugged and made a movement with his arms, showing that our proximity was reason enough for suspicion.  I decided to not beat around the bush.

            "Yuri, are you jealous?"

            "Of course not!"

            "Good, because you shouldn't be jealous of yourself."

            "He said I was jealous, didn't he?" Yuri accused, looking pointedly at Fox Face.

            The kitsuune stretched out leisurely, his tails brushing and scattering the leaves and petals on the forest floor.  "Paranoid, aren't you?"

            "Paranoid with a good reason."  After all, Fox Face **had** said it first.

            "I am not paranoid," Yuri said obstinately, folding his arms.

            "No," Fox Face said in overly sweet tones, "You're just immediately jealous for little reason and jump to conclusions.  Which says absolutely **nothing** about irrationality and paranoia."

            I started laughing at this, covering my mouth as I giggled.  Yuri was put out by my reaction and sat down to the meat.  He handed me a piece and then rudely tossed one on the dirt near Fox Face.  The kitsuune grumbled, cursing here and there—but he did eat the meat, holding one part down with his paw as he bit and tore sections off.

**

[Margarete]

            "It's beautiful."

            As soon as I said the words, I knew they didn't describe the City of Water accurately.  Eden had not been Paradise; this place was closer to it, more lovely.  No, 'lovely' wasn't the right word.

            Twelve jets of water, six on each side, framed the path into the city.  Beyond the watery 'gates' there were fountains spraying a fine mist into the air, pools lining the street, and waterfalls cascading down the sides of buildings.

            "Is this place waterlogged or what?" Halley muttered.

            I ignored him, focused on the city.  It seemed to beckon me.  I took a step forward, into the gateway, and—

            "So you're leaving today?"

            "Of course.  Father ordered me to."  I was looking back on the city, letting myself see for once all its glorious illusions and mirages.  I turned towards Tiresias.  "I'll be fighting for the angels."

            "So I've heard."

            "And you?"

            "The same as always."

            I bit my lip and then said, "Yes, the same as always.  Inflexibility has often been the downfall of the Earth Clan.  As its leader, shouldn't you be more prudent?"

            The blond man did look like he could be Keith's relative.  He even had Tyrving at his side.  He shrugged.  "I believe I'm setting an example by fighting for what I believe in."

            "You won't win."

            "That's not the point Mia."

            "I can't disobey my father.  You can choose though.  Would you fight against me, for a losing side?"

            "I fight against angels, not you."

            "It's the same thing!" I shouted at him.  "You're choosing a monster over me."

            His hazel eyes narrowed.  "You know my opinion of him, Mia."

            "Even if he is a man—are you choosing him over me?"  Here was the ultimatum, I would make him choose.  "If you don't want to oppose him, declare yourself neutral.  Who are you choosing, him or me?"

            He smiled gently.  "I swear if I should meet you in battle, I will not harm you nor will I allow any of my clan to harm you.  But I believe in him."

            "Then—you choose him."  I was dumbfounded for a moment, but then I said in a harsh voice, "You're a fool."

            "Mia—"

            "You'll lose.  That's already a fact.  There's no way you can hope to win.  And if you lose, you'll be punished for helping him."

            "I'll live with the consequences."

            "You'll have to."

            He turned and walked away, then suddenly stopped.  "Each of the clans has their downfalls.  Do you know what the Water Clan's is?"

            "What?"

            "When they make lies their reality."

            _Floating in water.  No, not floating, sinking.  Sinking…can't breathe._

_            My hands are hot.  They're burning.  The water both agitates and cools my skin, making the pain even worse than the one in my lungs._

_            I'm so tired…I can barely think._

_            Something red…a light…blood?_

            My hands were stained red as I took them away.  His hazel eyes were wide open, lifeless.  Dead.

            "You…you killed him."  I looked up at Michael, seeing the blood that still dripped off his sword.  "Didn't you?"

            "Yes," he said calmly.

            I stood and grabbed my daggers, lunging at him—but someone grabbed me at the back, stopping me as Michael backed away.

            "Sarah," he asked, "What is the matter with her?"

            "What's the matter?!  You killed him!  You—"

            "Stop it.  Please, stop!" Sarah begged.  I could feel her grip slipping; with a last twist, I was free, bring my dagger down before a spell hit me, throwing me to the side—

            _The light's died down.  I can see yellow dots—only lack of air.  Even they are fading now.  Everything's black…I'm curled up into a ball…I'm all alone…_

"Margarete!"__

"What's wrong with you?"

            I stood in surprise, staring at the woman in front of me.  "Mnemosyne?  I thought…just a legend."

            "Accept my judgment, and drink of the waters.  Decline, and quit this place, and find salvation another way."  She nodded towards the river.  "Will you drink?"

            "What's your judgment?"

            "Look into Lethe."

            I walked along the riverbank, stopping where the waters were tranquil.  I cast my eyes down into the depths.  I was in the sea still, curled up into a ball, my blond hair floating around my face and arms.  The image changed, and I saw a baby in an uterus, umbilical cord stretched from its stomach.  "That's me…?"

            "You'll be beautiful still."

            I turned to Tiresias, astonished.  He smiled, that same gentle smile he'd always had.  "Are you mad at me?"

            "Tiresias…?"

            "Margarete!"

            "Please wake up!"  That was Sharon's voice, wasn't it?

            "What's wrong with her?" Zhuzhen?  And then—

            "Idiot, you're not dead so stop acting like it!"  I felt a sharp pain and opened my eyes to glare at Halley.  He sighed and said to the others, "See?  She's awake."

            "Halley, I've already thought of ten ways to kill you, so get away before I put them into action," I gasped, feeling lightheaded.

            "He had to, you stopped breathing," Zhuzhen said.

            Had I?  No wonder I felt so short of breath.  "Are you alright?" Keith asked.

            "Y-yeah."  I tried to get up but almost fell over, using Sharon to keep myself upright.  "Sorry," I apologized to the girl.

            "That's alright."

            "Here, I'll carry you."  Surprised by the offer, I made no protest as Keith first hooked my arms around his neck and then picked me up at the knees.  I mentally shrugged and decided to enjoy my momentary weakness, resting my head on his back as we entered the City of Water.

            "What happened?"

            I lifted my head to look at Halley.  "I don't really know.  I thought I was drowning…and I was talking to a man.  Tiresias."

            After a few steps, we stopped and turned.  Sharon was looking down at the ground.

            "Something wrong?" Zhuzhen prompted.

            "Who's Tiresias?" she asked me.

            I shrugged and closed my eyes, feeling sleepy.  Keith was warm.  "Some Earth leader.  I have weird dreams."

            "You sure do.  That one almost killed you."

            "I see…"

            I shut my eyes and drifted off.  I could hear the sounds of people laughing and talking.  It sounded like there was a festival going on.

            "Wonder what's this for?"

            And then someone started shouting.

            "That Regina!  Doesn't she have any respect for family!"  A man said, looking red in the face.  "Without even considering our clan—"  He spluttered in his furious mood, "And now your sister!  Disobeying my authority—"

            "Father," I said smoothly, "You may still be grateful for you two daughters.  I have found a way for us to be of worth to you."

            "Yes?"

            "Who's Mia?"

            "You don't know her?  My, you foreigners are ignorant!"  I opened my eyes and saw a plump woman who carried a bag full of clothes.  "Mia is the ruler of the Water Clan!"

            "I thought that was Lamia," Halley said, confused.

            "No, no, that's just what most of us call her—but never to her face," the woman said nervously.  "Today they're having a parade to celebrate her defeat of Nis's heir.  You must know about that, at least."  She passed on, swinging her bag merrily.

            Keith turned his head slightly to speak with me.  "Are you feeling better?"

            "Just a bit," I said softly.  I wrapped my arms tighter.  Keith looked confused, but he started walking again, going towards the main street.  I watched as another wave of water ran over the stone walls.

            The angel grinned.  "I think you'd be a nice partner."

            "But Sarah!"

            The blonde angel addressed the protesting clerk, keeping her eyes on my.  "God sent me to get a bodyguard.  She is one of the heirs to the Water Clan, and should be very strong."

            "A bodyguard?  Aren't you Sarah?"  My voice was too sharp as I asked, "What does an assassin need a bodyguard for?"

            "Margarete, it's starting!"

            I glared at Sharon for ending my brief reverie.  People were pressed all around us, and many uniformed were marching down the street; the parade had started.  I lasted only for a while, long enough to notice Sharon waving to someone with a brown hat, and then drifted away…

            I was on hard stone, stretched out as I gazed up into the endless sky.  I sat up and noticed that I was surrounded by water.  The pillar I was on slowly moved, making long ripples in the lake.  To my right there was a large temple approaching.  Seeing little else, I jumped from the moving pillar onto the white marble steps.

            The temple was dim and water dripped from the ceiling.  In the darkness I could see an outline of a path going further in.  As I wondered whether to go in or not, a wind blew, rushing into the temple.  It echoed on the walls.  It sounded like raucous laughter, but then it changed until it was bitter weeping.  Curious, I followed.

            As I stepped under the arch, I realized the floor sloped down.  I followed the path, keeping one hand on the wall.  There was a dim, bluish light at the end.  Towards the bottom, I saw two figures both slumped against the wall.

            They were Alice and Keith.  I splashed through the pool that was accumulating water and knelt by Keith, shaking him.  Then I felt his neck.  Then Alice's.  Both were dead.  I shook my head, bewildered.  "How did this happen?"

            "Don't worry.  They're not dead."  I looked behind me and noticed a silhouette, perched over the last arch.  The voice was a man's.  "This is your spirit world.  In the other world, they're still alive."

            A sigh of relief escaped my lips.  "Thank God."

            "But not for long."

            "What do you mean?!"

            "They'll be killed soon, by him."

            "Who's him, and who're you?" I demanded.

            There was a sigh.  "Of course, you're still bound.  But the binds aren't needed.  Why don't you break them?"

            Water lapped around my ankles.  "Just answer the questions!"

            "I am Asher.  And the man who will kill them is the man who changes into a monster."

            "Y-Yuri?"

            The water surged up to my knees; I almost fell forward but kept my balance.  Asher barked out a harsh laugh.  "What?  Does it anger you I tell the truth?"

            "Not as long as you **are** telling the truth," I retorted.  "…Which I really can't believe."

            "Not you.  You're the only one who has an ounce of sense here.  But really, Mnemosyne," and now he raised his voice, as if speaking to someone else.  "Do you think the oath is still binding?  I am free.  And I'll free the others too."  He jumped down, splashing water, and opened his arms.  "Or will you bind me again?"

            The waters began to drain from the room, balking at his challenge.  But there was a faint rushing noise.  I strained to listen and realized it was coming from further in the building.  It grew louder and I started, realizing that it was only a few feet from us.

            "You're as corrupt as God," Asher murmured.  "I suppose you'd be a perfect archangel."

            Water roared into the room with the rage of a tsunami, sweeping me off my feet.  The water was a dark tint that foamed in its fury.  I went under, choked, and coughed as I came to a stop beneath Halley's and Sharon's curious expressions.

            "So what were you dreaming about this time?"

**

            "He's not here," Persephone sighed.  "Where could he be…?"

            "C'mon Pers, stop staring at that map and eat.  You're ruining **my** appetite," Kain complained.

            She folded up the map and began eating.  She only took a few bites before pushing the plate away.  "It's no good.  We shouldn't be sitting around here, eating."

            "No, we should be sitting around, starving," Kain replied sarcastically.

            Persephone opened her mouth to say something scathing, but then bit her lip, looking less certain.  Instead she left the restaurant.  Both Kain and Syth could see her leaning against the window.

            "Do you have to be so harsh?"

            Kain shrugged.  "She just needs some cold water in her face."  Idly he formed a ball of water in his hand, considering.  "Maybe then she'll wake up."

            "Or maybe she'll just hate you more for hating Regina."

            The illusionist laughed.  "Me?  Hate dear old coz?"  He snorted derisively.  "But still, just what the hell did she do to Pers?  This is a lot longer than it's ever been."  He was silent for a while.  "Which side do you think she gets it from?  Fire or water?"

            "I'd say Water."

            "Yeah…that was the stupidest alliance our clan ever made.  Or the Fire clan for that matter.  Look what they got."

            Syth laughed in agreement.  Both clans had lacked foresight and gotten an unusual result—and a war with it.  "Look, I'll go talk to Pers and see if she's still mad."

            Outside, Pers was playing with her flute, trying a few notes absentmindedly.  She didn't seem to have noticed him, so Syth said, "Listen Pers…"

            She kept playing.  "Pers?"

            "I…I have to find him.  And if I don't…"  She looked up at him with brown eyes full of misery, "…I'll just die."  Persephone leaned forward, onto him.  "I don't understand anymore.  I just have to, and if I don't…"

            "Come on," Syth said, lifting her up to her feet.  "It'll be fine.  You're just feeling discouraged."  Still, he felt a bit shaken up.  This was not like her at all—and it made him realize that he didn't really know who she was.

**

[Alice]

            "How much farther?"

            "Five days," Fox Face explained.  "Then we'll reach the City of Darkness, and then the City of Fire…Hyuga?"

            "What about Hyuga?" I asked.

            "Huh?"

            "No," Fox Face said, curling his tails tightly.  "He just wants me to go to the Graveyard."

            "Is it important?" I asked.

            "Must be…he's never called me before, besides the first time."

            "Could I come?  I want to meet Hyuga," I said.

            "I'm coming too," Yuri joined in.

            But Fox Face shook his head.  "Someone has to stand guard.  You watch while Alice and I go in."

            Once I translated for him, Yuri was cross.  "I can't go in my own Graveyard?"

            "Our Graveyard, and stop whining.  Besides, you've already met him."

            "Please?"

            Yuri softened when I asked, and he sighed.  "Oh, alright."

**

[Margarete]

            The bar was far too loud for me.  The sound of drunk laughter and clinking glasses and shouting morons made my head hurt.  Halley was pushing his way through the throng, holding Sharon close to him.  Zhuzhen and Keith were sitting at the counter, both with a beer.  I sat down and ordered a drink for myself.

            "Should you be drinking?  You're sick," Keith said.

            "I'm not sick."  I turned away from him, watching the door of the bar as I waited for my drink.  I was annoyed with him for going off to drink while I was out.  He'd carried me around all day without complaint, only to disappear as soon as he could put me down.  He'd just been being chivalrous—noble idiot.

            The door banged open and a pale, small man walked in.  He cast three coins on the counter and got a strange, dark blue liquid.  He took only a small swallow before addressing the barkeep in a loud voice.

            "There be some strange going-ons.  Have you heard of Tripura?"

            "Something happen?"

            The man laughed and drank a bit more.  "Few nights ago, I was doing the usual business—you know—and I saw a huge bird, the size of a man, flying over the city."

            "Did one of the clan's pets get loose?" someone called mockingly.

            "That's what I thought at first," the man explained to the small knot of people around him.  "But then the bird changed into a man."

            "That's Yuri," Halley said.

            I moaned.  "Could he go a day without doing something stupid?"

            "Come off it, you must have been drunk out of your mind."

            "Ask Tobias when he comes," the man said confidently.  "He'll tell you the same as everyone in Tripura knows: Nis's heir has returned."  His companions were silent as he finished his drink.  "And he was still hanging around the next day.  He looks much as he did two millennia ago, I'm told."

            "But Lamia said he was dead—"

            "Well, it could be his son.  But then the question is, who's the mother?"

            "That's obvious, Regina."  I raised an eyebrow at that.  Regina did not seem the maternal type.

            The man shook his head.  "An angel set that seal, I doubt her son could get out.  Don't get me wrong, angels are bastards, but they're clever bastards."  I glanced at Sharon to see how she was reacting to it; to my surprise, she was smiling.  Maybe she didn't know…no, she'd have to have heard it at least once before.  "And if Regina could escape, she'd be raising hell right now.  Probably a mortal."

            "Maybe it was another monster."

            Halley opened his mouth to speak; I motioned for him to be quiet.  We all knew very well that both of Yuri's parents were human—but saying it right now would be stupid.

            "Whether he's the heir or a descendent, he's got odd taste."

            "What do you mean?"

            "He was traveling with a Light class woman!"

            This was met with loud laughter, and the proclamation that he had indeed been drinking too much.  I drank the last and made my way back to our room upstairs.

            "Well, now we know Yuri and Alice are together, and they're in Tripura—wherever that is."

            "Tripura is another name for the City of Air," Sharon explained.  I made a mental note to check that later.

            "We know where they are."

            "Yeah, and everyone else does too."  I shook my head.  "I guess it's a good thing…so far."

            "You shouldn't be such a pessimist," Keith said.

            "I'm a realist."

            Our hotel room had three beds.  Sharon, at only seven years old, was easily small enough to share a bed with.  Zhuzhen and Halley took the remaining two while Keith simply lay down, folded his arms as if in a coffin, and fell asleep.

            I watched him for a few minutes, trying to decide between appreciation and annoyance.  Then I closed my eyes and let Sharon's soft breathing guide me to sleep.

            "The one who is both man and monster…a murderer."

            I looked up from the pool to see Asher.  He floated above the water and me.  He had long blond hair, loosely tied back and was casually attired.  "You must be mistaken," I said.

            Asher's eyes narrowed and he dropped onto the pillar.  "Mistaken?  I'm quite sure he's a killer.  I died because of him!"  He struggled to keep his arms from shaking, to hide his anger.  "Do you need proof?  I could tell you everything—"

            "You will not violate your oath, Asher.  You drank and accepted.  You will not break it now."

            A short Japanese woman was standing on the water.  There was a dark color beneath her feet; as she walked forward, the color spread, tainting the clear water.  The placid pool began to foam and churn.

            "Mnemosyne.  If an oath made on lies is binding—"

            "I never lied," she cut in.

            "Never lied?  I suppose then—"

            I took my gun and fired into the air.  The waters stopped their movement as both turned to me.

            "Who are you two and what are you doing in my spirit world?  I want a good explanation."

            "I am called Mnemosyne.  I am only here because Asher is breaking his oath—"

            "And I'm here," Asher thundered, "to stop that murderer—"

            "He is no murderer!"

            "Of course Mnemosyne.  Of course," Asher said silkily.  "It's obvious why you would say so, even if it utterly contradicts reality—"

            I fired again.  I was feeling extremely short-tempered, and if they made me shoot again it might be at one of them.  "Look," I said.  "I really just want to sleep right now, so either you two make it clear what's going on, or take your argument to someone else's world."

            "Then I'll tell you—"

            "You shall not break your oath!"

            The black waters formed a blast aimed at Asher.  He lightly jumped into the air and shot up fifty feet.  The jet changed course, rocketing towards him.  Again Asher moved out of the way and shouted, "The monster—he killed Sarah and Tiresias—"

            "Stop it!" Mnemosyne shouted.

            "Two thousand years ago—don't you remember?  How much you hated him—"

            "You're only acting out of spite!"

            He dodged the water's attack in a far away corner; the black water sprayed as if hitting an invisible wall.

            "Spite?  Is it spite to not want to be murdered again?"  He pointed to me and declared, "She knows—she knows full well how much of a monster he is!"

            "But I don't know," I protested.  "Yuri's not a monster."

            Asher moved back towards the pillar, still chased by the water.  He hovered near the edge—the water was closing in on both of us—and then he vanished.  My eyes widened as I saw what would happen.

            "Margarete, move!" the woman shouted.

            It was too late.  The water carried me off the pillar, into the lake.  Surprisingly, it didn't hurt much.  It only stung at first, and then I was numb, floating in black.

            A hand grabbed my arm and lifted me out.  Mnemosyne groaned and rummaged through the water again.  I stared at my arms and then looked at her.  We had both become translucent.  No, it must have just been my eyes.

            "Here."  She dropped a small blue stone into my hand.  "Hold onto this, don't panic—"

            "Why would I panic?  And what's this?"

            "That's your soul.  But don't worry; I'll fix it soon.  Oh, this is almost as bad as when I made Adam a woman…"

            I was at a loss for words.

**

[Alice]

            Hyuga was wrapped in a black cloak, sitting at the base of the temple stairs.  He was idly flicking pebbles at the frozen masks, laughing at their complaints.  "So you're here," he said, turning to Fox Face, "I—"

            He froze himself as he caught sight of me.  I smiled nervously, wondering if there was something wrong with my appearance.  "Hello."

            "Sarah…"

            Fox Face sighed.  "She might look like Sarah, but this is Alice."  He sat on his haunches and asked, "So, why'd you call me?"

            Hyuga looked away from me.  "Have you had arguments with any of the others?"

            "You mean Halley and Zhuzhen…those guys?"

            "Yes."

            Fox Face's tails swept back and forth as he thought.  "No.  Not recently.  Why?"

            He sighed.  "Well, that's a relief at least."

            "Is something wrong with them?" I asked.

            Hyuga shook his head.  "They're fine, but…you know, how Sarah looks like you, and I look like Yuri?"

            "I can't tell with the hood up."

            This made him play anxiously with the hood, but Fox Face jumped in.  "Yes, we know, so?"

            "Well, for the others, there's also a person that goes with them.  And we…we know certain things that we are bound not to tell you."

            "So…?"

            "So, one of the others has broken their oath.  Mnemosyne is trying to bind them again—"

            "Mnemosyne?" I asked.

            "She has dominion over Lethe.  Anyways, she'll be here soon—"

            "Like now?"

            I looked up from Hyuga to the temple doors.  Standing in front of them was a short Japanese woman, dressed in rich purple and red colors.  She had a tense expression as she said, "Hyuga…there was a problem."

            "What was it?" Hyuga asked suspiciously.

            "Asher was using Margarete's spirit world, right?"

            "Yes, wasn't that clever of him," he grumbled.  Seeing my puzzled expression, he explained, "We thought that he would go to…well, it was just unexpected."

            "And I tried to bind him…"

            "It didn't work, did it?"

            "Well, the binding worked…just on the wrong person."

            Hyuga was silent for a minute, before he demanded, "Did you bind Margarete?"

            Mnemosyne looked down.  "Yep."

            Hyuga groaned and covered his face.  "Mnemosyne…"

            "Wait, what does that mean?" I asked.

            "She's just created a shadow soul out of a living person.  Where's the crystal?"

            "Margarete has it," Mnemosyne answered.

            "Wait, Margarete's a…a shadow soul?  Is that bad?" I asked.

            "Not really," Fox Face said.  "Look at them.  They're both shadow souls."

            "It's not bad if you're dead," Hyuga corrected.  "For Margarete, it's a problem.  But it's easily fixed…it'll just take some time."

            "I'll start on it now," Mnemosyne said, walking through the doors again.

            He shook his head idly.  "Well, at least she didn't make any sex changes this time."

            Fox Face snickered.  "Margarete a man?  Heaven help us…"  He burst out laughing as I made a face.

**__


	25. Aquila Rose

**Disclaimer:**  Do not own Shadow Hearts.

**

**Author's Note:**  The trio scenes were more afterthoughts.  I can't seem to think of anything really good for them to do, although they **should** become larger factors in the plot soon.  Other than that…enjoy!

**

[Halley]

            "'Keep out or suffer the Seraphic Radiance's wrath.'"

            I moaned and rolled over.  It was barely dawn and Margarete was up, looking at Yuri's notebook.

            "Can't you keep it down?"

            She opened the notebook, ignoring the warning on the cover.  "He's gonna kill you if he finds out," I said, remembering how defensive he was with it.  She ignored me and flipped through the pages.

            "1911, 1911, 1912," she chanted, flicking past the pages.  I sighed in frustration and stuffed my head under the pillow.  "1912.  1912.  1912.  1913…"  She was quiet for a moment.  "Pain."

            That got my attention and interest for a second, but then I felt annoyed.  "Margarete, stop looking through other people's things.  Especially Yuri's, he's not even here."  Margarete ignored me again and now I was a little angry.  "Margarete—"

            "Yes?" she said, looking up with innocent wide eyes.  She suddenly looked very young.  This threw me off for a few seconds and she returned to the years, chanting in an almost sing-song voice, "1913, 1913, 1913."

            "Come on, that's his."

            "But they're wonderful."

            _They?_  "What?"

            "The pictures."

            Now I was interested again.  I'd always thought the notebook was a journal.  But it had pictures?  _Never would've guessed he was an artist._

            Suddenly I heard a ripping noise.  "Margarete," I hissed, "What are you doing?"  She folded the piece of paper she'd ripped out twice over.  "Yuri is going to be so pissed off—"

            "No, it's alright.  It's a picture of me," she explained.  With a devilish smile, she slipped it into Keith's hand as he slept.  I shook my head as she closed the notebook and slipped it back in our belongings.  Wearily I laid down and went back to sleep.

**

[Yuri]

            Something was pushing me.  "Yuri, time to wake up."

            "Don't wanna," I grumbled.

            "Please?"

            "You guys kept me up all night talking to Hyuga, I want sleep now."

            I heard Alice sigh, stand up, and walk away.  I kneaded my trench coat, trying to get comfortable.  I'd had to stand guard for most of the night just so Fox Face could take Alice into the Graveyard.  I should've taken her in, but Fox Face said he'd been called…right…

            Speak of the devil, I could hear him walking over now.  I closed my eyes tightly and then—

            I lashed out with my fist, sending Fox Face flying over to Alice.  "God damn," I muttered, wiping off the saliva, "Disgusting dog—"

            "You hit him," Alice said.

            "Reflex, and I barely hit him."  I grimaced as I realized Fox Face had gotten me pretty good.

            Meanwhile, Fox Face was whimpering like a baby.  "Here, let me…" and Alice healed him.  I'd barely **touched** him.  Then she glared at me.  "He was only trying to wake you up."

            Fox Face turned to look at me and I could have sworn he was smirking.  I bit my lip and reminded myself I couldn't kill my other half.  Not while Alice was here.

**

            "Syth!  Hurry up!" Persephone said frantically.  Kain forced her to slow down as she was half walking, half running.

            "You can't go all the way to Tripura like that," Syth pointed out.  "And I'm carrying the supplies."

            "But everyone knows where he is now!" she said, sounding panicked.  "And if we don't get there soon, he might be gone—or he might be found—and in jail—or executed—"

            "Pers?"

            "What?!"

            Kain put his hand in front of her face and uttered a sleeping spell.  Persephone dropped immediately and Kain slung her over his shoulders.

            "Thank the gods, we don't have to listen to her anymore."

            "Kain?"

            "Yes?"

            "Um,"  Syth pointed out reasonably, "Shouldn't you put an illusion over us, so it doesn't look like we're kidnapping a girl?"

            Kain realized the sagacity of this suggestion a few seconds too late, because by that time whistles were blown and wolves were howling.  There was no way to explain themselves; even explaining themselves would land them in jail.  "This is why I hate the City of Earth!"  He groaned.  "Stupid law-abiding—"

            "Shut up and start running!" Syth yelled, already ahead of him.

**

[Halley]

            "What is this?"

            I looked up from my task of packing.  "Finally, you're up.  That's just from Margarete."

            "And where is she?" Keith asked, starting to unfold the paper.

            "She went downstairs to get some breakfast.  You almost done Sharon?"

            She poked her head under Zhuzhen's bed again and then nodded.

            "What is this?"

            The second time Keith said it, his tone was odd.  He sounded a little angry, but I couldn't remember the vampire ever getting mad.

            "Dunno.  Margarete said it was her picture."

            "She's nude!"

            "Really?"  I craned my neck and realized that Keith was right.  I quickly averted my eyes.  "That's weird.  Why would she…and she got it from Yuri's notebook…"

            Keith flung the paper down and took out Yuri's notebook.  I looked over his shoulder, this time too curious.

            The first picture might have been a family portrait, but only the mother looked normal.  The father wore a fox mask, and what should've been a child in the middle was a demon.

            Keith skipped the next few pages.  A sunset.  He skipped again.  Scribbles all over the page, with Japanese characters slashed out.  Skip.

            A naked girl.  "Who would've guessed," I said sarcastically.

            Keith started flipping more quickly.  The girl again, another man with a fox mask.  A different woman, also drawn with no clothing.  Yuri tied back as ravens tore off his skin.  Alice, luckily only from shoulders up.  Her face was darkened, half of it hidden behind yet another fox mask.

            "What's with the mask?" I wondered.

            Keith paused and I took the time to look closer.  In the background there were dozens of masks, laughing.  Although they were only outlines, the shapes resembled the four masks we'd fought.

            "Must be Fox Face," he said.

            "Fox Face?"

            Keith flipped again.  There was a series of monsters, ranging from bats to a large demon holding a staff.  Then a ripped paper, showing where Margarete had torn her picture out.  Beyond that was a picture of a monster.

            "He drew **that**?"  Keith said incredulously.

            I shrugged, rather confused.  "I guess so…I wonder why he didn't draw Alice—"

            Keith turned to the back.  Around there, almost every other page was Alice, and maybe half of them were clothed.  He flipped the pages quickly so we could barely see—a god thing.

            "Okay…"

            "Can I see?" Sharon asked.

            "No!"  I took the notebook from Keith and quickly shut it.  I shoved it in with the rest of our things. "Let's just…let's go see Margarete and Zhuzhen."  I lifted the bag onto my shoulders and walked out the door.

            Downstairs, Zhuzhen was trying to pay for the room but was finding it difficult with the strange currency.  Margarete wasn't being helpful at all; she had taken six coins and was arranging and rearranging them into different patters.  She looked up at us and smiled.  "So did you like the drawing?"

            "No," Keith said stiffly.

            Sharon reached in the money pouch and started counting.

            Margarete shrugged.  "I guess that's why Yuri's the artist and you're not."  She smiled broadly and said, "He drew it in Shanghai.  It was a wonderful night."

            "Here, sir."  Sharon dumped the coins in the man's large hand and he nodded, accepting it.  Zhuzhen only looked surprised.

            "How did you know?"

            "He told me."  'He' must have been God.  I wondered if it really was or not, and how long this would go on for.

            Zhuzhen turned and looked at my face.  "What's wrong with you?"

            Was my face still red?  "We found out what was in Yuri's notebook."

            His eyebrows rose out of curiosity.  "And what was it?"

            "Well, Margarete found a picture of herself and gave it to Keith.  And there were a lot of Alice.  No clothes for either."

            To my surprise, Zhuzhen chuckled.  "No wonder he keeps it secret.  Alice would probably kill him if she knew.  But he had a picture of Margarete?"

            "Right here," Keith said, annoyed.  "But not anymore—"  Before he could tear the paper though, Margarete plucked it from his grasp.

            "You don't ruin good artwork!" she chided him.  "And this is a memento of our special night in Shanghai—"

            "What do you mean, 'special night'?  You and Yuri weren't ever alone in Shanghai," Zhuzhen said.

            Margarete stopped mid-sentence and turned to Zhuzhen.  Once again she had an impish smile.  "I know.  But it's fun watching him turn red," she said with a toss of her head to the vampire.

            Keith looked puzzled now.  "You mean—you two didn't—"

            "Of course not.  But I wonder why you're getting so upset."

            "Margarete!"  Keith yelled, back to being annoyed.  She laughed easily and ran outside.

            I shook my head.  "What's up with her today?"

            Keith stormed out and we followed him.  Margarete snuck up on the vampire and then jumped on his back.  "Carry me!"

            "Off, Margarete," he said stonily.

            "Please?"

            "Off."

            She slid off him reluctantly.  "Hmph.  I guess it's true, jealousy is a green-eyed monster."

            "What?"

            She spun around and stuck her tongue out.  Margarete was acting so immature and childish it was hard to think she was the same person who had been so tired and aggravated last night.  But her aura was still the same…

            "Margarete."  The spy stopped and turned to me.  "Did something happen yesterday?"

            The mischievous smile was becoming permanent on her face.  "Not yesterday, but this morning."

            "What?"

            "I was reborn!" she yelled, and then laughed.  People were looking at us.

            "Margarete, if you're going to say something stupid, could you say it less loud?"

            She turned and walked backwards, reminding me of Selphie.  She was pouting.  "I thought you'd understand best, Halley."

            I rolled my eyes.  "Margarete…"

            "You know, now that I'm reborn, I shouldn't be Margarete!  I need a new name."  She jumped up on the rim of a fountain, earning even more stares.  "My name will be…" skimming her hand through the top part of the fountain, "Aquila Rose!"

            This to an entire crowd of people.  I did my best to pretend I didn't know her.  Keith had a dubious expression as he watched her, obviously wondering if she was insane or not.

            Sharon climbed on the fountain and tried walking on the rim as well.  She fell in though and I quickly lifted her out, shaking my head.

            "Come down, Margarete," Zhuzhen said.  "We've got to go."

            But Margarete shook her head.  "That's not my name."  She swung her legs as she sat on the higher ledge, her hair getting matted down by the fountain's spray.

            Zhuzhen rolled his eyes; even he could put up with only so much.  "Fine.  Aquila, come down."

            "No!  Not 'Aquila', 'Aquila Rose'—"

            Impatient, I knocked her off the fountain with Air shot towards Keith.  The vampire had little time to react and caught the wet spy.  "Better?" I asked sarcastically.

            She grinned and slung her arms around his neck.  "Much."

            I ignored Keith's glare.  My priority was keeping the nutcase happy.  If that meant he had to suffer, fine.  I could hear Margarete giggling and Keith muttering something profane as we finally began to leave.

**

[Yuri]

            "I wish I had my notebook," I grumbled.  We had just gotten out of the forest and were resting for a few moments on a grassy hill.  I rolled on my back and gazed up at the clouds.

            "You know, you never told me what you keep in there," Alice said teasingly.

            I smiled at her, knowing the day she found it I would die.  Fox Face started growling.  Alice turned to him and leaned forward, interested.

            "Really?  Pictures of what?"  _He better not tell her about her pictures, _I thought, right as Alice exclaimed, "Of me?"

            I looked up to check that she wasn't going for her book.  But she seemed pleased; she had a pretty blush across her cheeks and I wished again that I had my notebook.

            "Could I see it sometime?"

            Fox Face nodded and I instantly protested.  "That's my notebook."

            The kitsuune seemed annoyed and Alice asked, "Why not?"

            "Because…they're not that good," I said lamely.

            "But it sounds lovely."  Seeing my raised eyebrow, she explained, "The butterfly one."

            I remembered that one.  I'd drawn it shortly after Blue Castle, after Fox Face and I had become one… "Yeah, I remember."

            Alice frowned.  "Is something wrong?"

            I shook my head.  She continued frowning; I remembered that a Demon Eyes wouldn't need to ask if something was wrong, she'd know.  "I drew that picture right after you guys found me in Keith's castle.  After I accepted Fox Face."  I looked over to the fox, thinking he would start growling an answer, but only found myself reflected in his dark eyes.  I went back to the sky, looking for shapes in the clouds.  After a while, wishing that they wouldn't be so damned silent, I continued, "It's just weird.  I realized that…I feel different now."  I shook my head and rolled onto my stomach.  It was hard to describe, but…I remembered when I drew that picture, even though we were heading into danger, I felt so peaceful…why didn't I feel that way now?  Was it because of Fox Face?

            Fox Face gave a low growl.  "You could accept him again," she said gently.  That had obviously been his intent, and now he was waiting for my decision.  He had an earnest expression, unusual for him.  I could see myself even more clearly in his eyes…his eyes…they were mine, weren't they?  My eyes…in a kitsuune's face…

            "No."

            All seven of Fox Face's tails lashed against the ground.  The sound was like a whip cracking.  There was no growling; he simply got up and walked away, back towards the forest.

            "Fox Face!"  When Fox Face didn't respond, Alice stood up.

            "Why are you following him?"

            She stomped angrily and glared at me.  "Because he's you!"

            I realized that I had made her upset.  There were tears in her eyes.  "Alice—"

            She turned away, not even caring it gave me a nice view of her black panties.  "Fox Face?"  Alice started running after him, making him run too.  "Fox Face!"

            I leaned back and shut my eyes.  "Shit."

**

[Halley]

            Sharon suddenly leaned over, making me stop.  Her upside-down frown prompted me to ask, "What's wrong?"

            "What was in the notebook?" she asked, her pout turning into a smile.

            "Nothing for a little girl to see."  I remembered something and turned to Keith.  He was still carrying Margarete in his arms, her head resting against his chest as she dozed.  "Keith!"

            "Yes?"

            "What's Fox Face?  You mentioned it when we were looking at the notebook."

            "Zhuzhen could probably explain it better," he said with a nod to the Adept.  "But as far as I understood, Fox Face was another half of Yuri."

            I stared at him, wondering if he was joking.  "Another half…what?!"

            Margarete cocked open a sleepy eye.  "Fox Face?"  She chuckled.  "Wasn't that crazy.  Running around with a mask, pretending you're your dad, and beating up yourself…good thing he died."

            "He didn't die," Zhuzhen corrected.  "Yuri accepted him."

            "What on earth are you talking about?"  What Margarete had said especially confused me.  But maybe she was just being crazy again.

            "It's a bit complex," Zhuzhen said, walking alongside me.  I gave Sharon a boost—she was starting to slip again.  "But Fox Face is a part of Yuri.  Yuri called him Fox Face because of the mask he wore.  He had no idea that Fox Face was himself.  He actually believed Fox Face was his father."

            "Fox Face wasn't some voice in his head was he?"  They were making it sound like Yuri was insane.  Very insane.

            Zhuzhen sighed and shook his head, his pigtail flailing around.  "Fox Face was an actual person.  He appeared only when the Malice was full and then he would try to kill Yuri."

            "But he is Yuri."

            "Yes."

            I stared at Zhuzhen.  "You have to be joking."

            Zhuzhen tossed up his Holy Peak staff in sheer aggravation.  Margarete simply laughed.  "Everyone's crazy about something.  Like I'm crazy about Keith."  Mischievously, she took her finger and sketched out a heart on Keith's chest.  "Hmm?"

            She had gone from annoying him to flirting with him.  It figured.

            "Margarete, please…"  The vampire's long-suffering tone was pleading; he obviously wanted her to stop.  But she didn't.  I face forward again, so I didn't see them, but I could hear Margarete whispering.  Instead I looked to the horizon, which was dark with heavy gray clouds.  "Looks like rain."

            "Rainstorms are common between the cities of Air and Water," Sharon told me, playing with my hair.  "We should put an extra covering on our tents or we'll get soaked."

            Zhuzhen was looking at her curiously.  He caught my attention and raised an eyebrow.  I shrugged.

            "Oh!  Don't you believe me?"  Sharon had obviously caught us.  "It really is God!"  Again she bent over my head and asked, "You believe me, don't you Halley?"

            "Well it's…kind of hard to swallow," I told her.  She pouted right as Margarete knocked my shoulder, striding at a furious pace.

            The spy turned and yelled, "You're not even living!  You have as much emotion as a corpse!"

            _I think she's mad at Keith._  I looked at the vampire; he seemed rather perplexed about how to take this.  His hand was on his chest.  He opened his mouth and tried to explain, "Margarete, I—"

            "So what if I'm a mortal!  What does it matter?!"

            "It doesn't matter—"

            "Obviously it does!"  And then Margarete turned her back to him, ending the discussion.  I gave a low whistle as she walked far in front of us.

            "Any more doubt if she's insane?"

            Zhuzhen shook his head.

            "Damn woman," Keith grumbled, coming up to us.  He was still rubbing his chest and I asked why.  "She kept hitting me there with her fist," he said.  "I just wish she'd listen to me.  It really isn't that…"

            She was keeping up her brisk pace, increasing the distance between her and us with each second.  "I don't think she will."

**

[Yuri]

            "Alice!"

            After fifteen minutes I had entered the forest after them.  Alice must have been really upset if she hadn't calmed down by now.  "Alice!"

            Using my claws, I slashed at the vegetation, trying to clear a path as quickly as possible.  "Alice!"

            She couldn't have gotten that far…what if she was mad and ignoring me?

            "Alice, I'm really sorry.  I didn't mean to get him mad, I just—"  Well, I had known that not accepting would make him mad.  But I hadn't refused just to make him mad.  "C'mon, come out!"  Feeling stupid, I shouted, "Please?"

            I sat down and waited, listening for any sounds.  My temper rose as no one, not even Fox Face responded.  Why the hell were they forcing it on me like this?  Didn't they understand…?

            They probably thought since I did it once, what would be the trouble getting me to do it again?  But last time I'd had one foot in the grave.  Now that I had time to think about it…I couldn't really see the point in accepting him.  Wasn't he the embodiment of my weaknesses?  Wouldn't I be better off without him?

            And…I could never accept being a monster.  Maybe I should, maybe I was supposed to…Alice didn't seem to mind at all…but then Margarete and Zhuzhen and Keith and…

            Halley.  I remembered the day before we left, how odd he'd been acting around me, what he'd almost said.  If I really were a monster…would he hate me for that?

            "Why the hell should I care what they think?" I said sullenly, tearing a leaf apart.  Why should I…but I already knew, didn't I?  They were the only friends I had…the only friends I'd had in a while.  I was fine if they were gone, fine if they were halfway around the world.  But I couldn't stand the thought of one of them hating or fearing me.  I snorted derisively and leaned back.  "I wonder if they've made me stronger or weaker…"

            After a while I decided that Alice really must have been too far away to hear me and stood up again, backtracking further into the dense groups of trees.  A branch crossed my path.  Annoyed, I sliced through it—and the whole tree shook.  I frowned at the tree.  I hadn't used much force, and it was a pretty stout tree.  I shrugged it off and walked forward.

            "Alice?  Fox Face?  Hey, Fox—"  Something snagged around my ankle.  My view turned upside down, full of dirt.  I was lifted into the air, and there I dangled, almost twenty feet off the ground.  "Oh shit," I moaned.  I hadn't heard or felt any trap going off, but someone had gotten me good.

            Looking up, there was a thick vine wrapped around my lower leg.  My first thought was to simply cut the vine with my claws.  But as high up as I was, that'd be a bad idea.

            Instead I fused into Seravi.  Using the free talons, I tried to scratch the vine.  But a second vine came down, grabbing the other leg.

            I disembodied and stared at them incredulously.  "Just what is up with these things?"

**

            Persephone woke up, feeling very groggy.  She looked down at Kain and asked, peeved, "Did you use a sleep spell on me?"

            "And nearly paid my life for it," he groaned.  "Gods!  I hate that city.  I loathe it!"

            Syth shook his head.  "They've got an amazing law system.  The only one better is Eden's."

            "The only one better—you mean the only one worse!" Kain spat on the ground, showing his distaste.

            "You just don't like it because it catches you."

            "And you!"

            "How much farther do we have to go?" Persephone asked.  "Will we be there soon?"

            "No, it'll be a while."

            Persephone could feel the uneasiness rising in her again, threatening to overwhelm her.  "Kain, could you use the sleep spell again?"

            "Are you about to rant at us again?"

            "Maybe."

            "Then with pleasure," he said, easily putting the girl back to sleep.  "This is a lot better."

            "It's not exactly a permanent solution," Syth pointed out.

            Kain shrugged.  "What is?"

**

[Halley]

            Sharon had mud all over her yellow dress.  The hill was so slippery she could barely take five steps without falling into a puddle.  The mud was constantly sucking my feet down.  Zhuzhen was actually the fastest of us, using his staff to support him.  Margarete was still walking ahead of us, probably halfway down the other side by now.

            Or not.  She had decided to wait for us at the top, sitting morosely with her arms hugging her knees.  "Are you cold?" Zhuzhen asked.

            Her mouth moved, but the rain pouring down was louder.  I knelt down and heard her whisper, "She's calling me…Margarete is calling me."

            She was definitely insane.  "Margarete—"

            "I'm not Margarete!"  She shook her head vehemently.  "I'm Aquila…Aquila Rose…I'm not you…It's my soul…"  Her left hand reached to her chest.  She lifted her eyes to mine; they were a dark intense blue.  "Stop it Margarete…"

            Kieth looked as bewildered as anyone, but he offered his hand to her.  "Come on, M-Aquila Rose," he caught himself.  "We'll rest as soon as we find someplace suitable.  Don't sit in the mud."

            She took his hand but remained sitting.  "Please come to my world?"

            The vampire frowned.  "Your spirit world?"

            "Yes, I—"  Her head fell forward, and her shoulders slumped.

            "Hey are you alright?"  I asked, worried.  I shook her shoulders and her head tilted back.  Her eyes were no longer intense but seemed washed out, faded.

            "She must be in her spirit world then," Zhuzhen said.

            Keith sat down in the mud.  "I'm going to see what's wrong."

            _Something dragged her there…_  "I'll go too.  Zhuzhen can you keep a fire going?"

            "Why?"  I pointed up at the sky, still dark and overcast, and our already drenched clothes.  "Got it."  No one needed to get pneumonia while we were trying to help Margarete…with whatever was wrong.

            "Can I go too?" Sharon tugged on my sleeve.

            "Sure, just hurry up alright?  Know how to get—"

            "Yes, I do.  Her spirit world is full of pillars, some that move and some that stay in place, and water around the pillars.  In the center there's a temple."

            I stared at her.  "Are you sure?"  If she was right about this, I'd really believe her about being an angel.

            She nodded impatiently and pulled me down to sit.  She then laid down and quickly fell asleep.  Seeing Zhuzhen's sputtering flame that he struggled to keep alive in the downpour, I closed my eyes and tried to think of water.  Not too hard when it kept hitting me.

            "I wont!—Listen here—no, I don't want to—there's no other way—No!"

            "Is she arguing with herself?"  I wondered, and then took a step back.  Partly because Sharon was right, but mostly because I was right.

            Two Margaretes were standing on a pillar, arguing.  One was dressed as normal with the usual ponytail, but the other wore an elegant sleeveless rose red dress and had her hair down.  Even stranger, that one was shining brightly, making it hard to tell the difference between her hair and skin.

            "Is this one of those 'Fox Face' kind of things?" I asked Keith.  He shrugged and approached both, getting their attention.

            "I knew you'd come Keith!"  The Margarete in the dress hugged him around the neck, her luminosity making Keith seem a shade darker.  "Help me, please.  She wants to destroy me."

            Keith put his hand on Tyrving's hilt, but the other Margarete's words stopped him.  "Point that sword at me and you will regret the day you came out of the coffin."

            The vampire stopped, and then looked back at me, begging for help.  Understandable; helping the wrong Margarete would probably earn a death sentence from the other.  I shrugged and pointed at the ponytailed one.  "I think she does a better impression of Margarete."

            "That's because I **am** Margarete!"

            "What're you yelling about?"

            I turned towards the source of the new voice.  Sharon was already facing the temple and I realized she was glowing slightly too.

            A Japanese woman frowned as she looked at us.  "Margarete, what exactly is going on?"

            "I don't know what they're doing her," she said, flinging her hands up in exasperation, "but look what's happened to me!  What's going on?"

            She pointed at the Margarete dressed in red.

            "Oh no," the Asian woman groaned.  She was dressed in a loose red robe weighted down with silver chains, with a purple sash.  "How did that happen?  A persona can't form in a day…"

            "What does it matter how I formed?  I did and I don't want to be destroyed!"  Margarete clung to Keith tighter, almost choking him.

            "So wait…you can't be Margarete…"  I slowly tried to piece this together.

            The Margarete hugging Keith shook her head.  "No.  I told you, I'm Aquila Rose."  Her grip on Keith loosened and she asked fearfully, "You won't let them destroy me, right?  Even though I'm…I'm not Margarete?"

            We stared at Margarete, wondering why she would want to destroy her anyways.  Finally the spy sighed, rubbing her temples like she had a headache.  "Mnemosyne, would it really destroy her?"

            The Asian—Mnemosyne—nodded.  "I'm afraid it would.  She's only a day old, far too fragile to survive if the crystal was taken from her."

            "You can't turn her into a shadow soul?"

            "No.  Lethe is too powerful.  If it didn't destroy her, it would corrupt her—which is even worse."  Mnemosyne walked on the pillars towards where we were.  "I'm sorry," she said to Aquila Rose, "But there's just no way—"

            "Then leave her as a shadow soul!"  Aquila Rose insisted.  "She's fine, isn't she?  Just let me become permanent—"

            "That would take years!  We don't have the time—"

            "Why not?  We have all of eternity."

            "Oh God, there's another?"  Keith sounded both worried and exasperated.  Aquila Rose clung to him, gazing up at the second woman to have emerged from the temple.

            She also looked like Margarete.  Her outfit was plain, a short white dress encircled at the waist by a gold chain with sapphires.  "Isn't that right, Mnemosyne?  We have all of eternity to find salvation."

            Mnemosyne said nothing, but looked down into the pool.

            "What's a few years to us?"

            "Yes…what's a few years?"  Aquila Rose repeated.  Then she looked to Margarete.  "Please?"

            Margarete did not look pleased at all, but having no argument against, she turned to the newcomer.  "And who are you?"

            "What does it matter who I am?  Either you'll let the poor girl live or you destroy her."  She had reached the pillar next to us and nimbly crossed.  "Which is it?"

            _So then, are we stuck with Aquila?_ I wondered.  Margarete watched both Aquila Rose and the other Margarete, trying to decide.  Mnemosyne had a furrowed brow, obviously upset, but she didn't say anything.

            "I think," the other Margarete said, her chain rattling as she moved forward, "I think Aquila Rose is an improvement."

            "What?" Margarete demanded.

            "She knows what she wants.  She pursues it.  She'll be happier.  Won't you, Aquila Rose?"

            Aquila Rose looked up into Keith's face and then nodded firmly.

            "Don't worry.  I'll help you."

            Aquila Rose let go of Keith for the first time and walked around him, going to the other woman.  I could see them walking up, face-to-face, when Sharon cried out, "No!  Get away from her!"

            She turned her head to look at Sharon.  There was a flash of metal across her breast; I could see so clearly her horror and fear.  She grabbed the other woman's arm as it plunged into her chest.  "W-why?"

            "You may have an adult's body and mind, but you are a child.  You're too naïve, too trusting.  If you were to live, we would regret it."  In her left hand was the dagger she'd struck Aquila Rose with.  There was no blood on the dagger though.  Aquila Rose wasn't even bleeding.

            "Please don't kill me," she whispered.

            The other Margarete jerked her arm out.  Aquila Rose dimmed, and she seemed as though made of glass—and then she fragmented into tiny shards of crystal that fell on the pillar with the sound of a window shattering.

            I stared at the pile of rose, gold and peach.  That had just been a person—now it was nothing more than crystal.

            "You killed her," I heard Keith say in disbelief.

            "Don't be silly," she snapped.  "It was barely formed, all crystal."  Sharon shined too, not near how Aquila Rose had, but enough to make me grab her arm and pull her behind me.  The motion alerted her to us, and her eyes narrowed at me.  The dagger was pointed at me.  "Where were you?"

            I tensed but tried to stand my ground, mindful of Sharon behind.  "When?"

            Her eyes were slits in her fury as she stalked towards me.  "When?  When Sarah was murdered, you backstabbing little—"

            "As opposed to chest-stabbing?"  In response, she raised the dagger.  I'd just crossed the line and my mind raced for a spell.

            Mnemosyne grabbed her arm before she could stab me.  "He is a boy," she ground out, "and he remembers nothing.  You will not harm him."

            The Margarete look-a-like put down the dagger slowly, still staring at me.  "Very well.  But when he does remember," she pointed the dagger at me again, "We shall have a nice chat."  She turned and then tossed something to Margarete.  It was something small that glowed a bright blue.  The spy caught it with ease.

            "…Well…"  Margarete said uncertainly, looking at Mnemosyne, "We go to Lethe now?"

            "Yes, that's right."

            "Hold, Mnemosyne.  You have some things to explain.  "Why is there a time limit?"

            The woman shook her head.  "Not now, Lamia."

            "I know there is.  Why?  Didn't we have all of eternity?  What has changed since then?"  Her thin gold and sapphire chain swayed as she marched up to Margarete.  "I thought it was only Tiresias.  Who else is alive at this time?"  When there was no answer, her voice became low.  "This is my spirit world, Mnemosyne.  Answer before I force you to."

            "Asher…and Sarah…Methuselah…and me…"

            "So you reincarnated yourself?"  Lamia sounded surprised.  "I was not aware you were alive at the time."

            "We never met."

            She nodded.  "And what about him?  Hyuga?"

            "Yes."

            Her blue eyes narrowed, but she said nothing and sat down by the shards of Aquila Rose.  Mnemosyne beckoned to Margarete and, still clueless, we followed them.

            "So that wasn't you today?" Keith asked Margarete.

            "No, I've been locked up here.  But that's odd…that a persona formed.  Mnemosyne said it usually takes a few years before a persona is fully formed."

            "I think," Mnemosyne said, stopping in front of the temple, "I think it was because she had your brain, which is full of memories.  The soul develops a persona by interacting with the memories.  In a newborn, there are no memories, so no persona.  But she had all the memories needed…"

            "Persona?  Soul?"

            Margarete turned and held out her hands.  She held a small, irregular blue crystal.  "This is my soul.  I'm a persona.  Actually, I'm a shadow soul right now."

            I shrugged.  "Can't tell any difference."

            "You could if you were one too.  Mnemosyne and I are both see-through.  You're all normal.  And another difference is, of course, I can't get into my own body."  She rolled her eyes and I laughed.

            "Too bad.  You missed everything Aquila Rose did."

            "What?"

            "Nothing important," Keith said smoothly, giving me a death glare.

            Walking through the temple, I found it old and worn, with water leaking through the roof.  The dripping water reminded me of the storm going on in the real world.  We had to find some kind of shelter soon.  How long had it been?

            "How far?"  Sharon whispered.  "It's so dark in here…"

            Mnemosyne easily summoned up a ball of flame, bright enough to light most of the hallway.  "Is that better?"

            "I thought you were a water class," Margarete said.

            "I have control over all elements, but I'm most skilled at fire."

            "Kind of like me," I thought aloud.  Mnemosyne looked confused and I clarified, "But I'm best at Air magic, not Fire."

            Sharon tugged at my shirt.  I ignored her at first, but she only tugged harder until I turned around.  "Pick me up," she pleaded.

            "What's wrong?" I asked, lifting her.  Her body was trembling and I wondered if she was cold.

            "I don't like her," she whispered.  Her green eyes were wide with fright.  "She's a bad person."

            "Shh."  I wondered what scared her so badly.  Had she sensed something I hadn't?  No, there was nothing malicious in Mnemosyne's aura.  Margarete seemed to trust her too, which said something.  Sharon was probably just upset about what had happened before.

            "What the devil?"

            I paid attention to my surroundings after hearing Keith.  The hallway had suddenly disappeared; a mile-wide river with dark waters was in front of us, rushing from our left to our right for as long as I could see.

            Mnemosyne sighed happily.  "This is Lethe."  Then her eyes suddenly narrowed, and she shouted, "What are you still doing here?!"

            A young man stood at the riverbank, looking in.  At Mnemosyne's shout, he jumped and turned to us.  "I-I was just d-deciding like you told me to—"

            "I told you to choose before I got back!"  She gave an aggravated sigh and asked, "Look, you **do** want to see her, don't you?  That what's-her-name…"

            "Elaine!" the man said indignantly.  "A gentler soul than ever lived!  She—"

            Mnemosyne groaned.  "Yes, you nut.  Elaine.  Do you want to see her again?"

            "Of course!"

            "Then jump in!" she roared.  Sharon sniffled, but it looked to me that she was just annoyed, not really angry with the guy.

            "B-but…what if she hates me?"

            "Let's make this simple.  Are you ever going to stop worrying and go in?

            "Maybe…" he said hesitantly.

            "That's good enough for me," she said, marching up to him.  She shoved him into the river and watched calmly as he flailed and then went under.

            Keith and I both started forward, but Margarete stopped us.  "Don't worry.  It's not harmful."

            "How's drowning not harmful?" I asked incredulously.  The man soon emerged though, with a cross expression.  Mnemosyne helped him up.  Why had she thrown him in?  "I don't get it."

            "He's a shadow soul now."  Margarete pointed further down the river, where a bright green light shone.  "There's his crystal."

            "See?  Easy," Mnemosyne said to the man.  "Now out.  Go back to your own spirit world."  He looked like he would object, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Mnemosyne gave him a steely glare.  He wisely chose to shut up and leave.  "Oh, thank the gods," Mnemosyne said, sinking down once he was gone.  "I thought I'd never be rid of the pest."

            "But he was such a nice man," came a reply from the river.

            Mnemosyne jumped and stood.  "Sarah!"

            The woman with Alice's blue eyes and white blond hair laughed, and then lifted herself out of the river.  She wore the same white dress as Lamia had, but nothing else.  Her hair was dripping wet, reaching down to her waist.  "Hello, Mnemosyne."

            Curious, I nudged Margarete.  "Is she a shadow soul?"

            "Yes."

            "What on earth were you doing in Lethe?"

            Sarah rolled her eyes up.  "I was just swimming for fun."

            Mnemosyne was not fooled.  "Sarah, you are the worst liar I've ever known."  She raised an eyebrow.  "Were you trying to use magic on Lethe?"

            The woman smiled very guiltily.  "I just wanted to ask her a question."

            Mnemosyne flung up her red-sleeved arms.  "First Asher, now you!  I thought you'd be the last person I'd have to worry about!"  Tapping impatiently with her sandal, she asked, "So just what is this question?"

            Hesitating, Sarah glanced at us, then leaned slightly down and whispered into Mnemosyne's ear.

            "Absolutely not.  That would require more magic than I have, and an amazing amount of concentration.  If anything went wrong, Hyuga would be screaming bloody murder at me."

            "Could Hyuga do it himself?"

            Sharon whispered in my ear.  "Put me down, Halley."

            I lowered her onto the ground and she started walking towards the two women.  I followed her, keeping close.  Both women seemed fine, but I had an uneasy feeling.

            "He'd have to…no, I don't think he would.  Wait."  Sarah sighed in disappointment, her hands clasping together, but she nodded.

            "Sarah."

            Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she bent down to address Sharon.  "Hello, little one."  But then she seemed puzzled.  Her eyes widened.  "God…?"

            "Sarah, you have sinned.  You have lusted."

            My heart skipped a beat as I registered the power that had suddenly appeared.  It was greater than anything I'd ever felt before.   And coming from Sharon…?  I tried to put my hand on her shoulder but I couldn't.  There was nothing to stop me, but I had a powerful feeling that she was simply untouchable.

            "I did not lust," Sarah denied, though shaken.

            "Do not lie to yourself."  Sharon put a small hand on Sarah's cheek.  "You know what you did."

            "I have never lusted," she said more firmly, standing up.

            "The council judged you guilty."

            I finally spoke up.  "Sharon…c'mon…stop this."

            "It's not Sharon."  Mnemosyne told me before addressing the girl.  "If you were not a coward, you would not use an innocent child as your shield.  Take your own form."

            God—Sharon—disdainfully turned her head away, indicating she wasn't listening.  "I have no business with you, Hel.  I wish to speak with my daughter."

            "Daughter—"  Sarah shook her head.  "You forsook me!  You left me to die!"

            Sharon's eyes were glowing, I realized when I walked further on the right.  She had a calm expression, concerned gaze.  "I cannot help someone who has rejected me."

            For the first time, Sarah looked uncertain.  She lowered her eyes and brought her hand to her chest.  "I did not reject you then…I was trying to work your will…and I did, didn't I?"

            Sharon had a skeptical look, rare for her.  "Was that your real motivation?"

            "She did what you wanted!" Mnemosyne yelled.  "What does it matter her motivations?"

            "Because no unclean thing can dwell in my presence," Sharon said coldly.  "Sarah…"  The blonde woman turned away from her, shaking her head.  "You can still repent.  You know what to do."

            "I cannot."

            Sharon sighed—and then her knees buckled, her eyes fluttering.  Mnemosyne caught her as she fell.  She held the child close to her and swore softly.  "I should've guessed.  She was completely overwhelmed."

            "What's wrong with her?" I asked.

            She tsked impatiently.  "Nothing permanent, she'll come around in a while."

            "Was that…really God?" Margarete asked.

            Sarah answered her question.  "Yes.  It was Him."  She closed her eyes.  "It was Him…I have to go now."

            "Sarah, don't let it bother you.  It doesn't mean anything—"

            "Yes it does!" she shouted.  "It means everything to me!"  She lowered her eyes to the river.  "I really…I need some time to think.  Please understand."  Sarah bowed respectfully to Mnemosyne before disappearing.

            Mnemosyne scowled.  "If she pulls out, everything is ruined."

            "She's that important?" Margarete asked.

            "Yes.  After last time…"  The Asian woman slowly shook her head.  "If Hyuga doesn't have her support, he'll…he might destroy himself.  He might destroy his soul."  She had a pained expression.  "It won't happen though.  He's stronger than that."

            She didn't look certain about it.

            "So…my soul…?"  Margarete waved the blue stone, snapping Mnemosyne out of her mood.

            "Oh, right!  Well…let's give it a try."

            "A try?  You mean you're still not sure about it?" Margarete said incredulously.

            "Can't be sure until I try.  This is my first time turning a shadow soul back into a persona."

            Margarete looked annoyed.  "Well **there's** a confidence booster."

            "Shut up and let me concentrate!"  Her silver chains rattled as she circled Mnemosyne, looking her over.  "Okay.  Soul."  Margarete gave her the rock.  Experimentally, she tried holding it next to Margarete's skin and pressed slightly.

            "Ow…what is this supposed to do?"

            "I was kind of hoping the soul would just naturally go into you."

            "It's not."

            "I'm not blind.  Just hold on.  What if we…" she shut her eyes and concentrated.  "**Lethe**!"  Some of the water from the river rose and then wrapped around Margarete.  Already knowing it wouldn't harm her, I watched as it enveloped her completely.  Mnemosyne then entered the mass of water.

            There were mild agitations in the waters in violent shrieks and curses from Margarete.  After two minutes, the waters went back into the river, leaving a gasping and annoyed spy.

            "What were you trying to do?!"

            "Looks like that didn't work…"

            "Like hell it didn't!"

            Mnemosyne shrugged.  "I don't know.  You might be stuck."

            Margarete stared at her.  I think she would have lunged at the other woman if Keith didn't intervene.  "Is there anyone else who could help?"

            "Yes…Hyuga might have an idea.  I'll summon him, it should only take a minute."

            "He better have an idea," the spy grumbled, frowning.  She seemed anxious to get back to her body as quickly as possible.

            "And why am I being called?"

            A man had just appeared in front of Mnemosyne and Margarete.  He wore a black cloak over himself and all I could tell was that he was of average height.

            "Hyuga, I really don't know how to fix this…"

            "Oh, so just dump it all on me."

            Mnemosyne raised an eyebrow.  "Is this a bad time?"

            "He got himself stuck in a fucking tree!"

            She started laughing.  "Yuri or Fox Face?"

            "Yuri!"  At this she cracked up completely and he glared at her.  "I really don't see what's funny about it."

            "Oh, oh, nothing, it's just amusing.  Imagine how pissed off **he** must be," she chuckled.  "How'd he get stuck?"

            "Don't know.  The vines are grabbing at him for some reason."

            She suddenly stopped laughing and looked thoughtful.  "Where are they?"

            "I think it's where the Earth city used to be.  Oh…so that's why."  He shook his head.  "Damn plant-lovers."

            "Now, now, we have one of the clan here.  Better not offend them," she said jokingly, looking at Keith.  Hyuga followed her gaze and then shook his head.

            "Why are you bringing them to Lethe?"

            "Because I had to bring Margarete, and they followed," she said, now more seriously.  "Now will you take a look at Margarete?"

            Hyuga glanced around, as if checking for someone.  Satisfied, he stripped off the cloak, revealing Yuri's face and a black outfit, designed for fighting.  He stepped over to Margarete and looked her over once.  He held out his hand and she gave him her soul.  I still had a hard time thinking of it as that.  It only looked like crystal.

            He put one arm around her shoulders.  In his other hand, the crystal dimmed until it looked like an ordinary stone.  Then, suddenly, he punched through Margarete's chest.  Even Mnemosyne cried out when she saw it.  Keith drew Tyrving, ready to draw blood.  But when Hyuga took his arm out and murmured a few words, the crystal shined bright and Margarete appeared whole again, though greatly shaken.  She fell down on the ground, gasping for breath.

            "Wasn't that…a bit violent?" Mnemosyne said.

            "You told me to fix it, and I did," Hyuga replied.  He shrugged.  "That was the best way I could think of."

            "Are you alright?" Keith asked Margarete.  The spy took a few deep breaths before nodding.

            "She should be fine, although she might feel a bit odd for a few days.  She doesn't use magic, right?  No harm done then."

            She glared at Hyuga, obviously disagreeing, but she did stand.  "Let's just go back," she said.  I agreed; something about Hyuga unnerved me, despite how much he looked like Yuri.  Keith helped support her as we walked back and I carried Sharon.

            There was a gift for Margarete back in her spirit world.  On the pillar where Lamia had destroyed Aquila Rose were two daggers.  One was the dagger she'd killed Aquila Rose with.  The other dagger had been made from the shards of Aquila Rose; I could tell by the rose blade, the gold hilt, and the two jewels within it—her eyes.  There was a message slashed out next to it:  _In case you ever have to kill a kitsuune._

            Margarete picked up both daggers.

**

**Reviewers:**

**MikoNoNyte:**  It's only when I glance over the chapters that I actually realize Yuri is getting close to being a bastard.  When I write it, it just seems like a natural reaction for him.  ::shrugs::  Hopefully this chapter lets people see exactly why he's uneasy about Fox Face.  Might get into the jealousy part later.  And if he doesn't calm down, Alice can always bash him.  But she is a pretty patient person.

Yes, Hyuga does have charisma.  I think Yuri has some charisma too.  He has his moments.  Briefly.  Bigotry is only the motive of one main character for siding against him.  Everyone else either sides with him or has a different motive for fighting against.  (  Was that too obvious?)

No no.  Kitsuune is far below god.  It should be explained…er…sometime.  (I just realized I have no clue when it will be explained!)

Alice:  Not this again…

^^;;  We'll fit it in.  Somewhere.

My brother is leaning on the devilish side right now.  He drops things on the littlest baby brother's head. -.-  And sometimes he shouts "Cry, baby Nicholas" at him.  (He is so mean right now.)

Actually, I have not yet really scheduled Michael's death, although seeing how much he is detested, he probably should get killed off sometime.

Asher.  You really don't know who he is???  I thought the scene gave it away, but I guess not so…

No, Margarete didn't forget.  I thought this was infinitely more amusing.

**Greyfriars:**  Um…thanks for the spraffy review :p.

**Rex:**  Not quite a 'soon' update but hopefully close enough.

**Loki:**  I'm glad you like Mnemosyne.  I'm trying to work on her character more, although I don't know if it's coming out the right way.

**Arreat's Hymn:**  And Yuri becoming a girl…I was thinking of having a scene where Mnemosyne jokingly threatens Hyuga of being turned into a girl, but I ended up not using it.

…I really cannot tell who you are.    Sorry.

**Nights Mistress:**  If Yuri and Fox Face have the most normal relationship, everyone must be insane.


	26. Sarah

**Disclaimer:**  Don't own Shadow Hearts, y'know that.

**

**Author's Note:**  Welcome, ladies and gentlemen.  Please sit down.

::Zhuzhen and Keith and Halley sit::

First off, Alice is on vacation today, haunting Yuri again.  So please welcome the lovely Margarete as the new muse!

Zhuzhen&Keith&Halley:  Are you serious???

Margarete:  ::gets her gun::  Anyone have any problems with that?

I do…didn't want to say 'lovely'…

Margarete:  Tough.  It's in the contract.  I'm the muse, so I get introduced as either 'the lovely Margarete' or 'the lovely spy genius'.

  You are impossible…Anyway…since Alice isn't here, and Margarete didn't object, this chapter is rather R-ish.

Halley:  R-ish?

No comments from the peanut gallery.

Halley:  ::starts eating peanuts::

  Both you and Margarete are impossible…this is R because we got into a few dirty things.  Actually, it might still be PG-13, but I'm not sure.  Anyways, R for:  a kind of dirty comment by Halley, a nude Yuri, and suggested rape, although we did not actually get into details.  Oh yeah, and the usual language by Yuri.

Keith:  It's a good thing Alice is on vacation…or else she would've killed you.

^^;;  She probably would've.  So anyways, if you don't like that stuff, you have been warned.  It's not graphic, just…it's in there.  So, yeah.  There will also be two girls kissing.

Halley:  This I got to see.

::looks at Halley::

Halley:  What?

**

[Alice]

            "Fox Face!"  I stopped and collapsed, winded.  The kitsuune had vanished from sight a long time ago, and I knew I couldn't catch up, but I had tried.  Now I was too tired to do anything but sink down on the hard ground.

            I put my knees to my chest and tried to catch my breath, mentally chiding myself for being foolish.  Trying to catch Fox Face was impossible; I should have known, since Yuri was a faster runner than me…I wished he wouldn't run away, but then, Fox Face was only here to get Yuri to accept him.  Finally, I stood.

            I went a little further and then looked around.  Where was I?  There were small white flowers blooming from the trees here, and I knew I hadn't seen them the first time.  I made sure of where I'd come from before moving on.

            It was strange how silent this forest was.  Perhaps I'd never noticed before with Yuri and Fox Face, but alone, I seemed to be the only creature here.  There were insects, but only that.

            There was the sound of water gurgling, a stream running.  I followed that and as the trees cleared, saw Fox Face at the side of the stream.  He was already turned to me, but when I came closer, he turned away.  I hoped he'd say something.

            "Fox Face—"

            "Leave me alone."

            I bit my lip.  I was still tired from running, from following him.  Maybe he was only tired as well.  While thinking, my attention was drawn to the stream.  There was a wavering reflection of Fox Face and me.  I gazed at his image, wondering what he was thinking.  His dark brown eyes were just like Yuri's…sometimes it was hard to see the difference.  Suddenly he lashed out with one of his tails, destroying the image of himself.

            "Just go away!"

            _Why am I even trying?  He hates me._

            "Are you going to leave?"

            He barked out an angry, "What do you think?"

            "Please don't.  You've been so helpful to us—I don't know what we would have done without you."  He did not show the slightest interest and I felt discouraged.  "Then again, why would you care?  Since Yuri won't accept you, you don't have a reason…"

            "That's not true," Fox Face said.  "And I was planning on coming with no matter what he said.  I kind of already knew what he'd say."

            I nodded.  "Thank you…sorry about Yuri."

            Fox Face snorted, swirling one tail in the stream.  "He just better not make it sixteen years or I'll go insane."

            "You don't…seem too bad off," I said.

            He gave me a look.  "I am stuck as a kitsuune.  How is that not bad?"

            "I mean, you don't seem that unhappy."

            "I have a body this time, that's why."

            But he had appeared in the physical world before…  "Didn't you have one last time?"

            Fox Face seemed puzzled, though it was hard to tell.  "Not until he met you."

            "Why not?"

            "He didn't tell you?"  I tried to figure it out, wondering if Yuri had and I'd forgotten.  "He didn't tell you.  Should've known.  You were the one to give me a body."

            "Me—what?!"

            "He snickered.  "I'm not explaining, he should've."  I glared at him, seeing how much he was enjoying my confusion.  His tails curled around him as he said, "Don't do that.  You look like you're going to cast Advent on me."

            "There's a thought," I said drily, but I sat down beside him.  "So, you're not mad?"

            "Hmph.  Guess there's no point…even if he'd said yes, we can't join just yet."

            "Why not?" I wondered.

            "I have to watch you while he goes into the city."

            I felt a momentary panic.  "He's going alone?  But I…"

            "No arguments," Fox Face said firmly.  "Hyuga's been telling me just a bit—what little he can.  Any Light class who goes in there is dead meat.  They hate angels, always have and always will according to him.  There is no way in hell I'd let you go."

            "Why would you care?"  I said sullenly.

            "What?"  Fox Face asked.  I shook my head, wondering why I had blurted it out, and stood.  Fox Face caught me by the sleeve, gently, not hard enough to rip but enough to make me stop.  "What do you mean, why would I care?"

            "I thought you hated me," I whispered.

            "Where the hell did you get that idea?" he demanded.

            "The Graveyard."

            We had only been in the Graveyard twice together.  Fox Face quickly figured out which time I meant and let go of my sleeve.  "I…it's hard to explain," he sighed.  "But I don't hate you."

            I was not sure what to say.  If he didn't hate me, why had he hit me in the Graveyard?  Recently he had been kind, but…whenever I looked back on the Graveyard, I felt unsure.  "Maybe you could explain sometime."

            Fox Face sighed.  "Fine.  But let's find my other half now, he's probably getting jealous again."

            I followed as he walked in front of me, wondering just why Yuri had refused him.  They'd only separated again because Yuri had found out he was descended from monsters…

            But why was Yuri so worried?  There was nothing he could do about it.  And it had given him his fusion abilities, which he was often inordinately proud of…

            Then again, he had also once regarded them as a curse.

            "Hey.  Do you hear that?"

            Fox Face's ears were tilted forward.  I tried listening but was soon convinced that it was too quiet for me to hear.  "What is it?"

            "Sounds like my other half is pissed off."  His tails started wagging again and I wondered if the sadistic qualities of both halves made the whole Yuri a masochist.  It was a humorous idea and I smiled as we walked forward.  My smile only broadened when I saw what trouble Yuri had gotten himself into.

            He scowled at us while hanging upside down.  "What are you laughing about?"

            "You're all wrapped up," I pointed out.  There were four vines around each of his wrists and two around his ankles and waist, suspending him in the air.  His shirt was down around his armpits and his trench coat flapped freely in the wind.

            "Not exactly what I wanted," he growled, trying to break free.  The vines kept a hold of him, frustrating him.  "God damn it, what the hell is going on?!"

            I decided it was time to intervene and called out, "**Blessed**—"

            "Don't do that!" Yuri shouted.  I stopped and looked at him.  "Whenever I tried getting free, more vines came.  I don't think it'll work."

            "How many times did it take for you to figure it out?" Fox Face said.  Judging by the thick bundles of vine, I could guess he'd made a few attempts.

            "What did you try?" I called up.

            "Seravi, Lobos, Forron, Sandalphon.  I thought about Seraphic Radiance, but then I'd probably go psycho with how pissed off I am."

            "How did you manage to fuse into four…?"  Two of his accessories had fallen off, leaving only the belt.  I didn't see what could've helped him keep control over the greater souls…

            "The Flare Brooch," Fox Face said.  There was a faint reddish glow on Yuri's chest where the Flare Brooch was.  It scared me for some reason—perhaps because I hadn't thought of it for a long time.

            "Forget that," Yuri said impatiently.  "Do you guys have any ideas?"

            I looked at the vines, trying to see if they had a similar source.  But all the vines came from different trees.  I sat down, scattering fallen red blossoms.  There was no common source, but a common feeling.  The emotion was self-protection.  "They think you're a threat."

            "They who?"

            "The vines."

            Yuri stared at me, then gave a sharp tug on one of the bundles.  Despite his strength, they held.  "You mean these think?"

            I nodded.  "I know it sounds odd but I sense some kind of feeling."

            "Well, great.  So how do I tell them I 'm not a threat?"

            I shrugged.  "Stop struggling?"

            Yuri looked even crosser at this but he relaxed and made an attempt to keep calm.  He contemplated the blossoms, the wind, the sun, and then closed his eyes to meditate.

            "Three minutes.  I'm surprised he's lasted this long, "Fox Face said.

            Yuri opened an eye.  "How long do I have to do this for?"

            I shrugged again, having no idea.  "Until they put you down?"

            He looked very displeased at this.

**

[Zhuzhen]

            The fire was as hot as any in the hells.  It roared and hissed, spit flames up at me.  I smiled, then extended my hand over from the walkway.  The fire rose to my touch, gently, meekly, never burning.

            I cast my eyes about and perceived a tall woman standing ant the end of the walkway.  Her skin was tanned brown, her hair a rich cherry red.

            I accosted her and touched her shoulder, feeling the water element within her.  "Regina."

            She turned; it was Regina, with her eyes red like wine and dark blue earrings.  "Zhuzhen?" she placed her hands on my shoulders.  "Zhuzhen," she shook me gently.  "Zhuzhen, wake up."

            There was water splashing on my back and a woman's hands shaking me.  "Zhuzhen, come on, old man."  Margarete.  I groaned, realizing that I had fallen asleep, and pulled myself up from the mud.  My vision turned black for a few seconds and Keith steadied me.

            "So, you're back to normal?" I asked Margarete, who frowned.

            "That wasn't me," she said firmly.  "Whatever happened, it has nothing to do with me."

            I noticed my monocle had traces of mud and carefully wiped them off.  "Fine.  Then who was it?"

            "Aquila Rose," Keith said, "I'll explain it to you, but…are you alright?  It looked like you had collapsed."

            I shook my head, bending down to pick up my staff.  "I'm fine.  Just used a bit too much energy.  Is everyone alright?"  Behind Margarete, I noticed Halley picking up a still sleeping Sharon.  Her small frame trembled with cold as he wrapped her with his jacket.  "What's wrong with Sharon?"  
            "She's just tired," Halley said.  "I think we should find shelter soon."

            Keith nodded and then put his hand on the boy's shoulders.  "I am sure she will be well quickly."

            "Of course!" Halley said sharply.  That was when I realized Sharon was far from being well.

**

[Alice]

            Yuri was growing more and more impatient.  The longer he dangled, the louder he complained.  Of course, anyone's nerves would be worn after trying to stay still for an hour and a half with no success.  "Can't you guys think?"

            "We are thinking, idiot, and I don't see you coming up with any brilliant ideas," Fox Face muttered.  His tails were curling up in an annoyed manner.  "The only think I can think of is maybe Hyuga would know something."

            "Fox Face says we should try talking to Hyuga."

            This was not a pleasing suggestion to the impatient Harmonixer above.  "Can't he come up with anything better?"

            "Well, if you cast Advent, it might destroy all the vines."

            "Fox Face said Advent…" I stopped and turned back to the dark-eyed kitsuune.  "Wouldn't that harm Yuri?"

            He did the equivalent of a shrug.  "Can't have everything you want."

            Yuri was silent for a minute as he realized how quickly Fox Face was losing his own patience.  "Well fine," he said, "but you guys better not take as long as last time."

            "Yes your majesty," Fox Face snapped back.

            I laid down and tried to focus on Yuri's graveyard.  But my mind kept wandering elsewhere, to a field where butterflies' corpses covering the grass.  A yard with seven dead…to a field with countless insects…I couldn't focus…and then I sat up, crying out, "Why can't I concentrate?!"

            There was a woman with long white—blond hair and light blue eyes.  Smiling at my astonishment, she said, "It is because I called you here."

**

[Zhuzhen]

            After more walking, we discovered a small cave.  The five of us squeezed into what little room there was and set about making a fire.

            I held a small flame to the pile of leaves, twigs, and sticks.  It didn't take well, and I noticed Margarete frowning at my abysmally tiny attempt.  I doubled my efforts and nearly blacked out again before I had started the fire.

            "That's it," Margarete said.  "You've got to rest soon, Zhuzhen."

            "I'm fine!  Just used up on the spells right now."  It would've helped if Halley had given a hand, but …Halley was still sitting by Sharon.  He seemed so dejected that no one had bothered him.

            Keith spent his time feeding more sticks and leaves to our fire.  Once done, he spread his hands out, enjoying the warmth.  "Shall we have our supper now?"

            Margarete shook her head and started bringing the food out. "Come on Halley."

            "Hold on."

            Margarete rolled her eyes.  She seemed in a rather foul mood since waking up.  "Fine, but don't whine that you're starving later."  She handed out the food to Keith and me.  After a few minutes, Halley did join us, although reluctantly.

**

[Alice]

            "Sarah?"

            She took my hand and held it tightly.  "I want to talk to you.  I have a question."

            "But—"

            "Please?"

            I hesitated.  And yet, she was me, wasn't she?  Or at least linked to me.  "Alright."

            "Do you—" she stooped suddenly.  She opened her mouth but no sound came out until she suddenly said "Lethe."  She laughed, a miserable-sounding laugh.  Putting her hand on my chest, she asked, "Do you love him?"

            "Yuri?"  She nodded.  "That's a silly question.  Of course I love him."

            "Are you sure it's love?"

            "What else could it be?" I asked, pulling away.

            She looked at me with darkening blue eyes.  "It was lust, wasn't it?"

            "Lust—that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" I protested.

            "Is it not more ridiculous to believe a monster could be human and a demon could love?"  She took her hand from my chest and placed it on her own.  "All the council ruled against me…even Remiel.  How could it not have been lust?"

            "They're wrong!"

            A strong wind blew through the field, picking up the broken butterflies.  One hit my cheek and then dropped into my hands.  I t had green wings, speckled with yellow.

            Sarah took it from me, crumpling it thoughtlessly before discarding the bent pair.  "Remiel would not have judged against me if he were not certain.  He would have shown mercy."

            "And why should I care what he thinks?"

            She seized my hands, gripping them painfully tight.  "Do you still not understand?  How great the matter is?  Because if it was lust, how much we have sinned…how far we have fallen…we must repent."  She looked at me pleadingly.  "Would you repent for me?"

            "And what if it was love?" I asked, turning aside her question.

            "If it was love…then the council was wrong.  And then, God was wrong."

            "Then you must have served a false god."

            Her voice was as sharp as a knife.  "I served the God who sees all and knows all, who created everything from nothing.  He is the alpha and the omega.  Does that sound like a 'false god'?"  When I did not answer, she continued, "Look around you.  This world is a testimony to his greatness."

            "There's only butterflies here," I said.  She smiled, seeming at once triumphant and pained.

            "And do you not know what these butterflies are?"  I shook my head.  "They are—" she stopped again and moaned.  "No, Mnemosyne, let me tell her."

            "And why are you so eager to tell her?  I thought you were ashamed of these."  The speaker was the same Asian woman I had seen the night before.  Broken silver chains followed her as she walked through the crowd of butterflies.

            "Why should I be ashamed of God's glory?"

            "You call this glory?"

            "This is his work and his glory, is it not?"

            Mnemosyne sighed, looking at the multitude of butterflies.  She sat don, the chains clinking.  "Sarah, would you let her go?  Hyuga's graft is worried.  Besides, you know there is no point—unless you are going to try breaking the bonds with force."  Mnemosyne shook her head.  "I cannot think of anything you would discuss that would not eventually be against the bonds."

            "A dream."

            Mnemosyne looked confused.  "A dream?"

            Sarah smiled at her, but was looking at me.  "I wish to share a dream of mine."

            "I'm not sure if that's—Sarah?"

            She walked quickly up to me.  Sarah grabbed around the lower jaw—and kissed me.

            My eyes widened as Mnemosyne began shouting—she had taken me completely by surprise.  Her tongue pried my lips open and she exhaled softly, sending everything to black.

**

[Zhuzhen]

            "Zhuzhen?"

            "I looked at Halley, who was stirring his food around aimlessly.  "What is it?"

            "You're a good exorcist, right?"

            "One of the best," I said with some pride.

            "Do you think Sharon is possessed?"

            I thought of this.  Judging from what Keith had told me earlier, it was difficult to say. There was certainly something else there, but it did not seem malicious.  "I'm not sure."

            The rain was finally beginning to slow.  The ground would still be muddy for a long time though.  "Mnemosyne seemed to think it was God," Keith said.

            I nodded.  The possibility was there and seemed to be the most likely to be correct.  The angels, Sharon, Mnemosyne…all of them said it was.

            Halley shook his head.  "I don't think so.  Isn't he supposed to be merciful?  He kept railing on Sarah."

            "But he also said she could repent," Keith pointed out.

            Margarete stood suddenly.  "This conversation's boring.  I'm going outside."  She stepped carefully over Halley and Keith's legs as she left, her boots squishing in the mud as she walked away.

            "Boring?" Halley said incredulously, "She wasn't even listening!"

            "I'll talk to her," Keith said.  As we watched, he put on his sword and walked outside.

            I shook my head.  "What's he need Tyrving for?  We haven't seen any monsters in awhile…"

            "Compensation."

            I looked askance at Halley, wondering if he meant what I thought he did.  I shrugged it off and then said, "So what do you think should be done?"

            "Well, if there is something messing with her, it'd be in her spirit world, right?"

            There was now way I could know, having only gone in Sharon's spirit world, but the theory seemed reasonable.  "I suppose."

            "So if we went there…"

            "Want to do it now?  Keith and Margarete are out, so there's nothing else we can do…"

            "Yeah."

            I put out the fire, feeling the chill enter the cave.  Halley laid on the ground while I rested against the cavern wall and closed my eyes.

**

[Alice]

            Instead of dreaming, I had woken up.  I stood, looking around.  Yuri still hung upside-down from the vines.  The bright full moon was directly behind him, making him only a dark silhouette.

            I noticed Fox Face had disappeared.  I tried to call for him, but no sound came, no matter how much I tried.  Was this a dream…?

            The trees with their red blossoms disappeared.  The moon turned into an eye without a pupil, having a red and blue and green and yellow iris.  The vines thickened and darkened, changing into a large metal cross.  It reminded me of Anne's cross.  The cross began to swing back and forth.  Yuri still hung on it, but it was only now that I noticed his nudity.  He had been stripped of all his clothing.  I felt embarrassed but at the same time, I continued to watch him—because he was watching me, with a piercing gaze that made me feel exposed.  Our eyes were locked constantly even as he swung in a pendulum motion.

            He was smirking, laughing softly as he watched me with that mocking gaze.  I felt suddenly a wave of revulsion and raised my hands.  The eye was watching from above, watching, recording, a spectator.

            Light gathered within my hands, feeding upon my sudden aversion.  I tried to fight it down, realizing this was Yuri, knowing I shouldn't cast Blessed Light or Advent—but I didn't cast either spell.  "**Final Judgment**!"

            The blast hit Yuri directly in the chest, breaking the cross behind him.  I felt the life depart and watched as his body fell to the ground.  What had I done?  Had I killed him?

            "No!" I screamed finally, breaking whatever had bound my voice before.  "I will not repent for you!"

            The eye shattered into billions of pieces that scattered throughout the sky.  Yuri rose from the ground, and as he did so, he changed, fusing into the Seraphic Radiance.  No, he hadn't fused.  Yuri wasn't in control.  It did not have his face, or any of his features.

            It grabbed me, pressing me to the ground.  With its claws, it tore down the front of my dress, scratching my stomach in the process.  Small compared to the fusion soul, unarmed, I could do little but pound against it as it pressed against me, filling me with pain…

            "Alice, stop hitting me!  I got enough bruises already!"  Now it was Yuri above me.  I hit him in the face, still half-dreaming and scared.  He quickly moved away, complaining, "What the hell did I do this time?"

            "Are you alright?" Fox Face asked.

            "The hell!  You think she's all right?  I just try waking her up and she slaps me."  Yuri rubbed the side of his face and then looked at me.  "Plus you kept hitting me.  Nightmare?  Though it's barely night…"

            I looked around; though the moon had risen, the sky was still a dark purple where the sun had set.  "Yeah," I said quietly.  "A nightmare."  I then realized something.  "You're down."

            "The idiot hurt a tree and made the whole forest pissed off," Fox Face said.  "Once the damage was healed, the vines let go of him."

            "I'm down, but they didn't do it too gently," Yuri said, unaware of what Fox Face had said.  "They just dropped me and I landed on him."

            "Yes, I just **had** to be your landing cushion," the kitsuune grumbled.  "Should we sleep here tonight?"

            I shook my head.  "Let's keep walking," I said.  "We're close to the city, aren't we?"

            "Late morning if we slept now," Fox Face said.  "We could probably reach it by midnight if we didn't."

            "It's just in and out, right?" I said.  "So you could probably keep going, right Yuri?"

            Yuri nodded, looking puzzled.  "Yeah, I guess."  I could tell he wanted to ask why, but with his face still red, probably figured he'd be better off not to.  I was glad for that.  I didn't want to tell him what had happened in the dream, or that Sarah's repentance would be his murder.

**

[Zhuzhen]

            We were back in the town full of corpses.  Halley and I both looked around.  It was very obvious there was something new here.

            "What the hell…?" Halley said, looking up into the sky.  Or the eye, which had replaced it.  "What is that thing?"

            "Must be what's affecting her," I said.  "Does that seem like God to you?"

            Halley shook his head.  "I never pictured a bloody eyeball, if that's what you mean."

            "Neither did I."

            We both stared up at the large eye for a while, aware that it was watching us too.  It was the same eye we had seen when crossing worlds, and still as horrible as it had been the first time.  It had no pupil, and an iris full of different colors.  Finally, Halley said, "I think we should wait until Sharon wakes up, because I have no clue what to do about **that**."

            I agreed, and we withdrew.

**

[Alice]

            I carefully checked my hair as I observed the city in front of me.  It was larger than the City of Air, but not nearly as beautiful.  Most of the buildings seemed of steel, ill designed and shoddily built.  Overall the feeling it gave off was one of decay and corruption.

            "Eh.  Wonderful city this is," Fox Face said off hand.  "Jeez, **I'm** a Dark class and I don't even like this place."

            "You'll be back soon, right Yuri?" I asked anxiously.  The thought of Yuri in this city alone worried me.  I'd rather go with him…

            He nodded.  He didn't even seem to mind the city's aura.  "Sure.  In, buy supplies, out, done.  Three hours, four hours top.  See you then."  He took off, his brown trench coat flapping behind him.

            I sighed, still feeling worried.  "I hope he comes back soon."

            Fox Face suddenly growled, then went to my skirt.  I shrieked at the sudden movement, and Yuri whirled around, shouting, "Fox Face--!"

            He then saw Fox Face laughing, and me joining in as I realized what the intent was.  Yuri frowned and stalked away, obviously fuming.  "See?"  Fox Face said.  "Too damn protective to stay away long.  He'll come running back as soon as he's done."  He chuckled.  "Oh, it's kind of fun being separate this time."

            "What, you didn't play tricks on him last time?" I asked, still giggling.

            Fox Face had stopped laughing though.  "I played tricks," he said, "but of an entirely different nature."

**

**Reviewers:**

**Arreat's Hymn:**  Oh, okay.  Secret.

Think of what other character is associated with kitsuunes.  Draw your own conclusions.  ^^

**Loki:**  You liked her?  I thought she was kind of annoying, kind of glad to kill her off but…if you liked her, that's good too.

**Araschid:**  Shadow soul is basically the persona formed during a previous life from the soul.  Um.  If that helped any.  Oh yes.  All shadow souls have gone through Lethe.  Shadow souls do **not** actually have their soul, because it is currently making a new persona.  To sum it all up.

There are a few more things, but they haven't come up in the story yet.

**MikoNoNyte:**  Maggie was Sarah's bodyguard.  I cannot say anything else.  Asher's element is hinted at in the (kind of) battle, but, to be fair, is not obvious.  Light class actually are angels—even the other classes call them that, although they might also call them 'bastards' and other things.

Nope, no virtual cookies for you.

^^  Yes, you can take the piccies idea.  I thought Yuri would be an artist, because, besides being an excellent fighter, he's not really given any other talents.  Since logical intelligence is probably suffering in him (I dunno, he just doesn't have the patience for that either), I thought about creative intelligence.  Language, drawing, or music.  You **could** say he has a talent for languages (he'd have to, or he'd be totally lost) but then, everyone else does too.  So either drawing or music.  I don't…see him being much of a singer, and I didn't see how to suddenly invent whatever instrument he would play.  (Maybe a recorder.)  So he's an artist.

He might draw Keith and Zhuzhen, but he would definitely draw the ladies first.  I'm surprised no one was upset that he had nudies of other ladies, especially of Margarete.  The scene was first actually that **Alice** discovered the notebook while both Yuri and Fox Face were looking at a nudie of Alice.  She then proceeds to find every nude pic in the notebook and rip it up in a morally indignant rage.  It was actually kind of funny, but then I realized Yuri's last-minute departure meant he probably wouldn't have the notebook with him.  So the notebook was left with the others, and Aquila Rose's personality was actually centered around the fact that she would give Keith a nude pic of herself.  …which is a great way to make up a character's personality, at least for me.  Funny, too.

I loved the family portrait one—I thought it would be something he would actually draw.  The sunset is important to him, in memory at least.  The ravens eating at him were from his art picture, with ravens—his posture always makes me think he's tied back.  Alice's 'butterfly' one is also her art picture.  The nudies are for the sole reason that he's a pervert.  The monsters are because of the library—who else would (and could) keep a whole record of every single monster?  Alice's masked one would have been drawn shortly after Fox Face told him she was opening the door—he wants to keep an eye on her.

And of course he shows all the earmarks, he **is** a very disturbed young man!

Actually, I think Yuri hitting Fox Face might be partly reflex.  I might not have been too clear, but Fox Face starts licking Yuri to annoy him into waking up.  **My** reflex is to push the dog down.  Yuri is a lot more annoyed and lashes out.

Without Fox Face, I think Yuri could survive—but Fox Face is totally dependent on Yuri.  However, Fox Face does serve an important purpose.  I should get to that next chapter.  (Are you tired of me saying that?)

"Yeah for Alice's undies" is definitely weird.  But what do you think we're in the SH category for?

Yes.  Thank you!  That was what I was trying to get across with Yuri's introspection.  If it was just him, all by himself and friendless, he probably would've accepted the fox again by now.  In fact, they might not have separated again in the first place.

Why would you trust a bunch of tricksters to be your messengers?  Ah, but in this world all monsters are looked down upon, which will be explained IF I EVER GET TO IT—::bangs her head against the monitor::

o.o  That made you even more confused?  That was supposed to be clarification.

Margarete:  Only you could confuse while clarifying, only you, aegis.

Thanks about the descriptions; my fanfics are always lacking in them (why, I'm not sure) and I was trying to work more on them in the last chapter.

Hyuga's description?  I did use that in chapter 11 or 12 I think…or were you talking about something else?

P.S.  Gah.  Long review=longer response.  And my fingers are pooped.


	27. Poisoned Ambrosia

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Shadow Hearts. I do own Pers and Kain and Syth, who should make a return next chapter.

**

**Author's Note**: Yuri may be a tiny bit OOC. Not in his actions, but his narration. He uses a few words that may or may not be above his vocab level. I may or may not be nitpicking here. And Fox Face actually gets his own piece this time, see how I handle that -.-.

This chapter contains cannibalism, one f-word (pretty sure), a woman and a kitsuune in a sexual situation (at least, the kitsuune thinks it's sexual) and heavy sappiness and stupidity in one part (or the most part). I've warned you.

**

[Keith]

Margarete was leaning against a thin tree. In her hands she held the two daggers Lamia had given her. The dagger of crystal shards glimmered, showing a multitude of rainbows. "Yes?"

"Is anything wrong?"

"Not at all." Idly she tossed the rose blade up into the air, catching it again by its handle. "Just got bored."

"Hmm." I watched as she tossed both daggers up. Margarete was obviously in no hurry, so I took my time to gather my words. "Margarete, earlier today Aquila-"

"I don't want to talk about that," Margarete interrupted.

"Why not?"

She sighed, shaking her head of blonde hair. "Because, Aquila wasn't me. I had nothing to do with her. So whatever idiotic nonsense she spouted, I don't care."

"It wasn't idiotic," I said.

"Whatever." She raked a hand through her hair, tugging on it slightly. "Look, if she said anything, I'm sorry."

"'If she said anything'? Margarete," I asked, " Do you even know what she said?"

Margarete shook her head. She bit her lip and said, "No...but she just wasn't taking anything seriously. Whatever she said, she probably didn't mean a word."

I remembered Aquila Rose sitting in my arms, tracing hearts. She'd looked up at me and plainly said, "I love you." Tapping my nose with her finger she had asked, "You love me, don't you Keith?"

Having adjust to her odd behavior, I had only sighed, "Please..."

"It's alright if you don't want the others to know. I'm good at keeping secrets." She had giggled at this juncture. "Don't you trust me?" Her eyes had darkened in a look akin to disgust as she observed my silence. Then, with a cry of frustration, she had pounded my chest hard, three times.

"I think she meant it."

Margarete shrugged, pushing off against the tree with one foot. "Does it matter? We're two different people. Nothing she said applies to me."

"But you have the same soul, don't you?"

Margarete looked away. Catching a few last raindrops on the blade of Aquila Rose, she said, "Mm, yeah, and do you think Lamia and I are the same?"

"Close."

"What?" she demanded, turning on me with an outraged expression. "Close?! We couldn't be further apart!"

Her temper reminded me of Lamia's outburst towards Halley. "No. You both can lose your tempers quickly, for starters." She gave me an icy glare. "And you can both be cold. You both favor practicality. Decisive too."

"Maybe, but she's psycho. She just went after Halley for no reason."

It had been odd, seeing a mirror image of Margarete threatening Halley with a dagger. But Lamia had said something... "She wanted to know where he'd been when Sarah died."  
"Sarah's the angel," Margarete muttered. "I think Lamia was her bodyguard."

"That would explain why she was so upset," I offered. It didn't explain something else. "How could she think Halley had anything to do with it? He wasn't even born."

"No...but if there's a look-alike for me, Yuri, and Alice..."

I rubbed my forehead, feeling a headache starting. "It's possible that Halley has a look-alike?"

"Maybe. But then, they were talking about who was reborn-it sounds like Lamia was reborn as me." She frowned "Or that her soul was reborn and formed a new persona-me."

I chuckled. I could see Lamia being a preincarnation of Margarete. They had the same temperament "Do you think I'm a reincarnated one too?"

"Maybe we all are," Margarete said. "Mnemosyne and Lamia said...lessee...Lamia...Tiresias...Asher...some 'M' guy...Sarah...Hyuga..." But then she shook her head. "Mnemosyne said herself too. But that makes seven."

I shrugged. Perhaps Mnemosyne was reborn in a different place. Maybe none of us knew her. "You've seen Asher, right? Whose look-alike is he?"

Thoughtfully, she raised Aquila Rose and stared at one of the jeweled eyes. Slowly she shook her head. "I can't think of who she looks like. And Halley doesn't look like Tiresias. Actually, he's an Earth class, so..." She stepped closer, looking me over. She smelled of roses." You do look a bit like him...barring family resemblance...very like..."

Her eyes had become a stormy blue as she looked closely into my eyes. I shifted, uncomfortable with her proximity, and she pulled back. "Sorry." She turned away and occupied herself with storing the daggers in a small leather pouch.

"No, it wasn't that."

But it seemed Margarete wasn't in the mood to talk anymore. After steadily observing anything but me, she said, "Let's check with the others. And look, the sun's setting."

Red rays spread across the ground. They dazzled y eyes, capturing my attention. I thought I saw the silhouette of a man, walking away. I hadn't noticed the passage of time, and heard faintly Margarete's voice. I shook off my sudden lethargy and went to meet her.

**

[Fox Face]

I searched the area, looking for a suitable hiding place as Alice lit the surroundings with her magic. Just as a precaution, although it might have been pointless. From smell, I could tell we were the first to pass here in some time. There were no footprints in the ground either. This whole land smelled of death. "Lovely," I muttered.

"This place is so strange." Alice turned around to face me, her short skirt rising in the twirl. I tried not to smile at the black panties' greeting. Being short had a few advantages. "I wonder why. Tripura wasn't like this..."

"Might be because Light, Darkness, opposites..." I shrugged, which was actually ducking my head. "You're more sensitive to it?"

"I suppose."

There was a large cluster of bushes, just beginning to grow blackberries. I directed her towards them, following at a nice pace-close enough to see the panties peeking out. Happily I swung my tails to the rhythm of her skirt.

Alice sat down by the bushes, fingering a small berry. "Oh!" she said, surprising me, "I remember-I forgot to ask Yuri!"

My tails drooped. Ego'd only been gone for ten minutes and Alice was talking about him. I tried to sound cheerful though. "Ask him what?"

"How I could've given you a body," she said, puzzled. She pouted at me. "Since I forgot to ask him, could you tell me?"

I grinned at her adorable pout. "Alright, alright. When's the first time you remember me appearing?"

"In the sewers, at Fengtian."

"TI first came the night you two met." Her eyebrows rose in surprise. I figured as much. "I fought Yuri and beat him up."

"He told me it was a monster..."

"Yeah, well, he probably thought it was true enough." Then I cursed myself for sounding bitter. "But I could appear from the moment you two met. It's because of your Light magic."

Her crystal blue eyes had a puzzled look. "But the only spell I could do was cure!"

"No, not your spells. Your power," I told her. "I tapped into your powers. But it wasn't enough."

Alice shook her head, her white-blonde hair beginning to fall out of her braid. "Then, how..." Her eyes lit with comprehension. "The Malice?"

"Right. So it was your powers and a bit of Malice. But now that your powers have increased, I don't need the Malice." I shrugged.

"And...the Graveyard. You said you would explain."

This was awkward. But I had agreed to tell her. I faced away from her, gazing at the unripe blackberries as though searching for a snack. "I...did hate, but I also took pleasure in you."

"Why?"

"I hated everything that had to do with him." I was sounding bitter again, but I couldn't stop it. "I hated all of you, just because you were on his side. But I liked you, because you gave me a body, and because you scared him." I glanced at Alice. Her hands were up near her mouth and her eyes wide with surprise. I turned away again, finding it easier to not see her reactions. "'Cause, you know, Ego-Yuri didn't have a clue who or what you were when he rescued you. And then he finds out you're a Demon Eyes and that you're making it possible for all the monsters he's ever killed to take a shot at him...He wasn't even sure at first if that was intentional or not. And of course, that you were letting dad take a crack too-"

"Why your father?" Alice shook her head. "I never really understood why you took the appearance of your father. Was it just to disguise yourself?"

That was kind of hard to answer. I thought about it, and then decided that maybe it'd be easier just to tell her everything. "I'll tell you, but it'll take awhile. First off, I'm a graft." I turned back to her and saw her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "...Do you know what a shadow soul is?"

"No."

I clawed at the ground as I tried to think of a way to explain. Then realized I couldn't think of a good way. "Well...basically, Hyuga made me. Well, no. Shit. That's wrong. More like, he tried to make Yuri have certain qualities."

"'Certain qualities'?"

"The big thing was he was supposed to be more forgiving of himself. But, you can't just wipe away other qualities. Like Ego-Yuri-" I kept slipping- "If something goes wrong, he blames himself." Alice had a dubious expression and I amended, "Something serious."

"Alright..."

She sounded uncertain. "Am I explaining this right?"

"Hyuga created you, but not you, more like you were certain new qualities in Yuri, but that didn't keep Yuri from also having contradictory qualities."

"And you're sure you understand?"

"I think so."

I sighed, but then it was better than talking to Yuri. Buy now I would've either been getting a blank stare or a knuckle sandwich. "Alright. Now, a graft might or might not take. Usually by five years, you can tell if it's going to work or not. More often not." Hyuga explained this all to me when I'd first met him, shortly after Ego had rejected me again. "If the grafts are rejected, they're usually destroyed in the process. But Yuri and me got along fine."

Alice laughed. "Hard to imagine."

I shook my head. "Well, we didn't have any reason not to, really. Usually, the only time we differed was when he was busy beating himself up. And then I would comfort him, so...he actually liked me."

"Then why separate?" Alice puzzled.

Sighing, I rested on my stomach, putting my head on my forelegs. "We separated the night mom died. That was when I was actually born."

**

[Yuri]

For nighttime, it was sure crowded. I turned up the collar on my trench coat self-consciously. Still people kept glancing at me. I stared down a group of men, then saw a pretty girl watching me and winked. She looked surprised at this and, still confused, blushed and smiled. I grinned at her reaction and continued down the street, searching for a store.

"Rumor is Nemesis failed."

"He didn't fail, Lamia did. To turn back...those people have always been cowards, but now they're traitors. So what's he going to do now?"

I looked at the speakers; a gangly boy, tall and lean, and an older man, wearing a coat that bulged slightly over his hidden daggers.

"Kera said he's starting back soon. Maybe there'll be a war, you think?" The boy smiled at the thought. "Well I'm gonna go tell everyone." As he turned away, I saw steel flash.

_How many people here are armed?_ When I looked carefully, I could make out small bulges and places where weapons might be concealed on many of the passersby. Were all these people fighters, or were they just paranoid...?

"Hey," I called to the man, getting his attention. Carefully I asked, "Excuse me, but do you know where I could buy some food?"

He raised an eyebrow, but gave me directions to a store. He then took off in the direction the younger man had gone. I shrugged and started walking the other way, deeper into the city.

On my left side there was a high wall and on my right, buildings crammed together. Eventually there was a gate in the wall. I looked through the bars and saw guards standing in front of what must have been the clan's palace. I stared at the vine-covered building for a few minutes before pulling myself away and continuing.

**

[Fox Face]

Alice was silent now. She gave all her attention to me, making me nervous. "Well...the night mom died...you can imagine how upset he was. We were both upset, but he was tearing himself apart, blaming himself for mom's death."

"Yuri told me," Alice said quietly. I nodded, remembering the day in the ruins.

"I tried to do what I was supposed to do...comforting him. We both knew he couldn't have done anything. But he didn't want to listen...I tried harder, and then he just snapped. And then..." I smiled weakly. "My first memory of being separate was being thrown in the Graveyard with him screaming at me, telling me he could've, should've done something, that he'd promised Dad. That I was a coward, that he wouldn't be a coward anymore. He had to be a man. He had to take 'responsibility'."

Hearing the last word aloud, I winced. I was being too harsh on Ego, in front of his girlfriend, no less. I didn't want Alice to get mad at me.

But as I thought, Alice's hand scratched between my ears. It felt nice. I leaned closer to her, brushing against her shoulder.

"After that I was trapped in the Graveyard. It was my first time being aware of myself as a-a-" I didn't have the words to describe it. Looking back on our childhood, I could not say I had participated in it. I was more like an observer, except-no, I hadn't been aware enough to observe. I'd recorded childhood in vague memories of when Yuri and I contradicted each other. "I should've been destroyed, but it'd been too long. I had become permanent. So I was just in the Graveyard, incomplete, hoping...that Ego would come back for me. But he never did. He'd completely forgotten me."

We were half sitting down, half lying on the dirt. Alice's hand petted my side. "And then what did you do?"

Distracted by the pleasurable contact, I looked up at Alice. The moonlight made her a goddess with the appearance of silver hair and violet eyes. She was very beautiful.

Gradually the petting slowed. "Is something wrong?" I realized I'd been just staring at Alice.

"N-Nothing." I looked away from her, trying to remember what I'd been thinking of before her touch had distracted me.

"You said Ego had forgotten you...Ego is Yuri, right?"

"Just a name I made up for him," I explained. There was a cool night breeze and I felt wide-awake, but the same wind was lulling Alice, making her eyelids droop although she tried to hide it. I smiled at her stubbornness. "So I tried showing myself to him in his dreams. It didn't really work. Most of the time he wasn't lucid enough. When he was, as soon as I mentioned mom's death, he started going on about me being the weak part. Finally I just thought, 'I've had enough. He wants to punish himself? Fine, I'll help him. I'll prove he's the weak one.' So I used his worst fear."

Her voice was full of skepticism as she asked, "Your father?"

"Do you know what we did that winter?"

"No," she said quietly, mindful of my sensitive ears.

I gave a snort. "He waited the whole winter for dad in the village. We left when the snow was melting and he finally realized dad wasn't going to come back. And that...the entire time, he was both praying dad would come back and hoping he wouldn't. He didn't want to be left alone by dad too. He wondered if dad would be mad at him. And as his father, I told him he would. I wanted to see him break down and cry. Instead he tried denying that I was dad and went searching...

"We were both pretty crazy," I said. It struck me as a massive understatement. "I was going insane in the Graveyard and dragging him down with me. When we met you...it'd long passed the point of me caring how it ended. As long as it ended-as long as I wasn't trapped in that damn graveyard-I didn't care."

"That's why you tried to kill Yuri?"

I nodded and then rubbed my head into thick blue fabric, wanting comfort. I could feel those emotions returning, the constant aching pain...the pain had been there the whole time, but just thinking about it made it stronger. Alice was always calm and peaceful. I...I wanted that peace. "If he died, I'd be destroyed, most likely. Most of my traits are taken from his persona. So if he died...I couldn't exist...that was really all I wanted. I'd lost hope of being accepted long ago."

"If all you wanted was to be destroyed..." Alice trailed off, afraid to suggest the idea. As if I hadn't already thought of it.

"Whey didn't I destroy myself?"

She nodded.

"I tried to. But I was made by Hyuga, and he never let me. I was pissed off at him sometimes too, for that. But later I found out-without a body, personas have no concept of time. He'd thought Yuri and me were only separated for a few hours. I told him to replace hours with years, and you should've seen him." Hyuga had cursed himself for being such an idiot, immediately reminding me of Ego.

"He must have been surprised," Alice mused.

"Yeah. And so, then when the Seraphic Radiance...well, I thought I'd won. D'you know how close he was to being done? You came pretty late."

She was silent and I realized how cold that had been. We were both lying on the ground and she rolled away, onto her back. I stood up, wondering if she was angry. She quickly shook her head at my questioning look. "I know...I came really late. I saw Yuri's...your...grave. I was so scared for him," Alice said, reaching up to her cheeks, "I started crying. And then you hit me." She shook her head. "You hated weeping."

"I was being an ass," I said, flicking my tails. "I shouldn't have hit you. Just...I was so damn mad that you were trying to save him...I thought you were an idiot. I didn't understand because I thought he was a worthless coward. Even when you told him to accept me, I thought you were saying it only for his sake. When I joined with Ego though, I realized I was wrong. I didn't hate you anymore. I started to...I started to like you." Now she smiled, then laughed, and I stared at her. "What?"

"Oh, oh...it's nothing. You reminded me of something."

"What?" She didn't answer and, almost unconsciously, I began growling. "Alice-"

"Now, now, don't be angry." She was still chuckling as she sat up and scratched my chin. She knew how to distract me. I stopped growling immediately. "Nice doggy."

"Oh great, my woman thinks I'm her dog," I complained.

Alice smiled, letting me know it was all a joke. She patted my head. "Good dog."

"Anyone but you, and they would've lost their hand by now."

"Even Yuri?"

"No," I admitted. "He would've lost the whole arm."

She laughed and lay back down. I followed, rolling on my side and finding myself next to her. She continued petting me, which did feel very nice, so I let her.

"He'll be here soon, right?"

"Two or three hours?" I guessed, looking at the night sky.

"I hope so..." The petting slowed a little over the minutes, then stopped.

"Alice?"

"I'm awake," she said sleepily. "But...let's just get an hour or two in...." Her arm slipped down to around my ribcage, her left arm already wrapped, like I was a pillow. I chuckled at the thought, then looked around. The bushes would hide us from view and if anyone came near, I'd heard them. Confident we were safe, I closed my eyes.

**

[Yuri]

I shifted the bag of food on my shoulders, my left hand playing with one of the Nightbird claws. Now I knew why these people carried weapons. I'd already had to teach two jerks a lesson. Now I glared at anyone who passed me in the street, daring them to just **try** screwing with me.

All I wanted to do was get out of here and find Alice and Fox Face. Doubtless they were either sleeping or cuddling together. I felt a stab of jealousy, but then reminded myself that Alice considered him the same as me. So if she did get cuddly with him, to her it was the same as cuddling with me.

It still pissed me off like hell.

I was passing the large stone wall again when I noticed some vines climbing over it. They were black, seemingly dead, but when I touched them they seemed alive. I felt a strange sense of foreboding before the Flare Brooch grew hot. I grinned, wondering if it was reacting to something on the other side. The vines made a good ladder as I climbed them. In a few seconds I was on top of the wall, quickly dropping to avoid being seen.

The Flare Brooch burned stronger, almost painful. But my hand dropped from my shirt as I saw the garden. The planets were fantastic, with a variety of flowers springing up. It was the first bit of color I'd seen in this city. A weeping willow's leaves touched the surface of a large pond. For some reason, it reminded me of Keith and Margarete. At first I smiled, but then I decided I disliked the thought. Shaking my head, I proceeded to the building. This side was made like an open hallway, with steps leading up to the building and pillars supporting the ceiling in place of a wall.

Hotter. I touched my trench coat, feeling the heat. I grinned, feeling excited for some reason. There was something important here. Walking down the hallway, I turned left.

**

[Fox Face]

My head was starting to buzz. I dismissed it as just my ears, caused by the agitation I was feeling.

It'd started when I tried going to sleep. Alice had shifted very slightly, but enough to bring her thigh into contact with my fur. It'd gone downhill from there.

Her arms were warm and still wrapped around me. Her breath was light and feathery as it entered my left ear, and somehow the smell of blackberries was making it even worse to endure.

I was fully aware that there was a very attractive woman besides me, that she was a virgin, and that something should be done to remedy that unfortunate condition. Only four things stopped me: Alice was asleep; I was a kitsuune; Alice would hate me forever; and Ego would skin me. Alive. And then pour salt on me.

My tails twitched uncomfortably. I wanted to move away from Alice, but I didn't want to wake her up. I tried waiting it out, but eventually I had to move or go insane. I tried to roll onto my feet but Alice's grip tightened. Still asleep, she pulled me back down and even closer, her breasts pressing against my back. I moaned. This was cruelty to animals.

I scowled when I thought about that. If it were Ego with her, Alice would never let him lay down next to her. Close, maybe, but not next. Was she only letting me because I was a kitsuune? It probably wasn't intentional, but...

Maybe it was because I did act a bit like a kitsuune. And I never objected to her petting...though Ego probably wouldn't object either. But I could see how she might be confused.

As I thought, I felt her skirt bunching up as she shifted again. I first felt the lace, then the smooth silk, and the heat underneath. I whimpered as I realized it was the panties. This was going to be hell.

**

[Yuri]

I peered around the corner, watching the guard. He was finally moving. I grinned childishly and stole across the hallway. I turned left again, searching for the doors. The same doors as the temple. It was rather easy to find them; their ornate designs made them stand out from the plainer ones.

I pushed them open, quickly stepping inside and shutting them. The pitch-black darkness made me fumble. Finally I found a candle suspended from the ceiling and lit it with Inferno's fire.

There was a painting across from me. The light was so dim I could barely make out the portrait of a dark-haired man. There were more candles in two rows and I decided to light those first.

Once finished, I found a room full of portraits, both men and women. Most were dark-haired and dark-eyed, though there were some exceptions.

As I walked through the room, I noticed something strange. Every ten or so paintings, there was one of the same man. There were small variations-like a different style of clothing and hair length-but they looked so much like the same man.

So much like me.

I continued moving on. Something was drawing me forward, beckoning me. I wanted to find it.

At the end of the room there was a portrait of a man with sharp red eyes and a half-smile, closer to a smirk. I scowled and then turned right to a picture of an ordinary man. Nothing about him was anything special.

I turned completely around and then stopped. In large, ornate letters, there was a name under all the paintings. The name under this one: NIS.

Slowly I looked upwards. Nis was an anorexic woman, robed in a tight black dress. Seated, her hand rested on a bulge in her stomach. She was pregnant.

Nis's hair was braided in three thick parts, falling over her chest. She had a twisted smile and knowing expression. Her eyes commanded my full attention when I saw them. They were not dark like the others, but amber. The paint on them still seemed wet. They were bitter and triumphant, like poisoned ambrosia.

I pitched forward as a migraine began. I could see the painting still as I looked at the floor. I stood as I knelt. I was very small.

"Nis."

I turned with a glance at Keith. He towered over me, even though I was standing. No. I was kneeling. _What the hell is going on?_ I wondered, covering my eyes with my hand. Maybe that would stop the vision. It didn't work.

"This is my mother," I said, looking at the painting. I shook my head. "Nis...I hate her."

"How can you hate her? You've never met her," the vampire pointed out.

"I don't need to," I said. "She gave birth to me."

"No," I said. "Mom...not Nis...." The pounding increased and I put a hand on the ground to keep myself up. I couldn't think, too absorbed as the scene began to change and Margarete's disapproving expression appeared.

**

[Keith]

Margarete had a disapproving frown as she looked down at me. I was lying down, the end of her ponytail tickling my face. My shoulders were tight against the confines of a coffin. Margarete pressed down on my chest when I tried to sit up, and closed the coffin lid. I heard a pounding noise. "Margarete? What are you doing?" I asked.

"You have as much emotion as a corpse."

The lid refused to open. She was resting her weight on it, and my arms were pinned, ineffectual. "Is this some joke?" The hammering noise only continued, and I felt angry. "Woman! Answer me!"

"You're not really living. When there's trouble, you escape to your coffin. So why don't you stay in there forever?"

She was nailing the coffin shut! "Margarete, let me out!" Normally I didn't feel the slightest bit of fear at being in a coffin, but being nailed in was a much different matter. "Margarete!" She didn't respond. Panicked, I pushed against the lid, but the nails held it secure. It occurred to me to use magic. The spells failed to come. Had she stripped me of my powers? No, Margarete didn't know how to do that. The pounding continued.

"Tiresias, open up!"

The coffin lid flew open, hitting the surprised woman. I quickly sat up and observed Mnemosyne's cursing.

"A dream?" I wondered, then looked around. I was in a crypt, large coffins arranged five on each side. There was the flickering light of torches to seem them by. All of the coffins were ebony, with a small golden device on them in the shape of an angel. The angel had wings coming from its head.

"Why do I bother with you people?" Mnemosyne grumbled. She went to the next coffin and pounded, shouting, "Tiresias!" She tried to pry open the coffin but soon swore and gave up. "Tiresias!"

The coffin slowly opened and a man emerged with blond hair and hazel eyes. He lazily yawned, stretching in a suit stained dark red in places with blood. "Yes, Mnemosyne?"

Her dark eyes narrowed at the man. "I've been yelling for you a while."

"I didn't notice."

She rolled her eyes, and then assumed a more sober expression. "Come to Hyuga's spirit world. Something's wrong with him."

My curiosity was aroused and I quickly leaped out of the coffin. Noticing my actions, the Asian woman sighed. "Yes, you'd better come too. The other one might be affected."

"What exactly is the matter?" Tiresias asked.

"You see him and tell me!"

Tiresias shook his head, following Mnemosyne's march through the ancient crypt. "Why does it seem you can never deal with these things?"

"Hey, I can handle two souls in one body, one soul in two bodies-"

"That was your fault," he murmured.

"The point is I can deal with it! But you people are all impossible. You're either indifferent, a smart-ass, a damn fool, or you're trying to break an oath you agreed to!"

Tiresias chuckled at Mnemosyne's tirade. "Let me guess. I'm the ass, Methuselah is indifferent, and...Hyuga must be the fool." He raised an eyebrow. "So everyone else is breaking the oath?"

"Asher invaded Lamia's spirit world and tried to tell Margarete everything. Sarah gave Alice a dream to get around the bonds. Lamia...well, Lamia hasn't broken the oath yet, but she encouraged Margarete to kill Yuri."

"I can see how that would be problematic," Tiresias returned. Flipping a loose length of blond hair over his shoulder, he continued, "But Asher? Mia and Sarah I can see, easily. Asher?"

"Many things happened after you died," Mnemosyne said softly.

I caught up to the two and stopped Mnemosyne, standing in front of her. "What are you talking about?" I demanded, too curious to wait any longer. "What happened? Are we all reincarnations?"

She smiled. "So you figured it out."

_Tiresias must be my preincarnation,_ I thought, looking on the man. It was clear that we shared many features: sandy blond hair, green eyes, and a similar build, both of us having broad shoulders. There were slight differences, but nothing glaring.

"Don't stare," Mnemosyne said, her chains clinking as she grabbed my shoulders and turned me around. "There'll be plenty of time later. Right now, Hyuga's..."

We exited the crypt, entering a pure darkness. I looked around in amazement, wondering why I could see when there seemed to be no light. Both Tiresias and Mnemosyne walked purposefully, knowing where they were going. I followed them.

I shivered slightly at the piercing cold, but neither of them minded it. I tried to put it out of my mind and continued on. Still it clawed at me and I began to slow a little, not noticing until Mnemosyne turned and motioned for me to hurry. Picking up my pace, I could see our goal. There was an outline of two darkened doors, with a flat, harsh blue light coming from the crack between them.

"Hyuga!" Mnemosyne pushed the doors open, revealing a graveyard. We proceeded down the temple steps; I glared at the masks before seeing that they were all frozen in place. The air here was thick and stifling, even more so than it had been in the crypt.

Tiresias frowned, murmuring, "Is this...really him?"

"No, that's him, the lunatic hanging upside down," Mnemosyne countered. I looked where she point and saw, next to a small white tombstone, a towering gray one. Around the top, two bare shins were wrapped, suggesting that someone was indeed hanging on the other side.

Tiresias fell in step behind Mnemosyne, but I walked ahead of them both, wondering what the devil Yuri was doing.

I'd forgotten it was Hyuga. His pants were rolled about his knees, his shirt down around his armpits, showing his lean physique. Messy brown hair fell away from his head. He stared at me with Yuri's amber eyes. "You're not Tiresias."

I shook my head. "My name is Keith Valentine."

"So you're of the clan." His near-yellow gaze shifted from me to the footsteps behind. He frowned and then stuck his tongue out a Mnemosyne.

"You deal with him," she told Tiresias.

"Why are you being rude to Mnemosyne?" Tiresias inquired.

Hyuga frowned. He released his hold on the gravestone and fell, pushing himself off the ground with his hands to land nimbly on his feet. Turning around to face us, he pointed at the woman. "She's not Mnemosyne."

"And why do you think that?" Tiresias said patiently.

"Because she doesn't look like Mnemosyne. Mnemosyne has brownish-blonde hair and brown eyes and they're shaped-"

"Is it my fault I was reborn Japanese?!"

Hyuga folded his arms stubbornly, reminding me very strongly of Yuri. "Yes."

"Damn you for being right," the woman grumbled.

We heard a slam and looked around. The doors were closed; I noticed two steel gates, both of which were shut; there was no one in here but us. I turned back to Hyuga and observed his smile. "Did you do that?"

"No," he said. His hand held the fabric of his black shirt, twisting it. "He did. I'm just waiting for him."

"Him?"

Again I heard the noise and spun around. But everything was the same as before. "Who is he?"

I was still looking outward, observing the doors and the gates, when it happened again. Yuri appeared in his familiar brown trench coat at the furthest gates. He gave a short cry of frustration and burst out of the gates, causing them to crash together when they closed.

He didn't want to be here, but Hyuga was waiting for him? "Are you making him come?"

"No. He wants me here."

Mnemosyne looked at the man with some concern. "Why don't you recognize me?"

Hyuga's eyes flashed and then darkened. "You're not Mnemosyne!"

She flung up her hands angrily. "What do I have to do?!"

"I think I might know...how old are you?" Tiresias asked Hyuga.

"Eight years old; you know that Tiresias."

I stared at the grown man in disbelief as Mnemosyne pronounced, "That settles it, he's lost his mind."

Hyuga looked angry at this, the amber flashing again. Tiresias grabbed his shoulders. "Calm down. Look at yourself. You're not eight."

He did look down at himself, looking long at his hands, and finally said in a confused voice, "But I'm nine." 

"Nine?"

I hear the banging noise again. I decided to leave Hyuga to Tiresias and Mnemosyne, who knew him better, and see what was wrong with Yuri. As I walked towards the gates, I noted the sheen of the green Earth symbol on a grave.

Yuri did not keep me waiting long. The Harmonixer pitched headlong into my arms, trembling. "Fucking hell..."

"Are you alright Yuri?"

He looked up at me with intense amber eyes, brighter than even Hyuga's. "Keith?" He sounded confused. He was certainly not all right, and I helped him back onto his feet. "You are Keith, aren't you?"

Were both Hyuga and Yuri going insane? I tried not to show my doubt. "Yes, it's me."

Now his eyes darkened to a soulless black. "Where's Hyuga?" His eyes roamed the Graveyard, searching. He walked forward briskly, passing me by-and then he stopped. "No. No." He turned back to me. This time his eyes were a dark brown with flecks of amber. "I'm fused," he told me. "With Lobos. This isn't the time."

I did not understand why he was fused, but from the way he said it, I didn't doubt the situation was urgent. Seeing his torn expression, I nodded to him. "Yes. This isn't the time."

He nodded, still seeming confused, but he stormed out the gates for another try at...was he fighting? It'd be a messy situation if he was; and poor Alice! She probably had to deal with both foes and her baffled companion.

"Odd," Mnemosyne commented. "It's almost the same things as Margarete. Except, Lamia didn't seem to be affected."

"You mean what happened in the City of Water?"

"Yes...Margarete kept going in and out of her spirit world, and now Yuri's doing the same."

"In the City of Water?" Tiresias asked, drawing near. I looked at the bloodstains; there were six that were particularly large. "So they're reacting to their elements?"

"Perhaps, but then..." Mnemosyne trailed off, her face paling. "Hyuga!" Hyuga didn't answer, so she stormed up to the mound again, followed by Tiresias and me. "Hyuga!" Even when she was standing only three feet away from him, he didn't say anything. "What is it now?" she asked, exasperated.

"Why are you calling me that? I don't have a name."

She frowned but nodded. "Alright. I'm sorry. But if Yuri's in the City of Darkness in this condition...." She shook her head. "Where are you?"

"We saw Mother," Hyuga said.

"You're in the palace?" Mnemosyne demanded.

"Of course we are. I live there."

Mnemosyne looked as though she would either cry or slap him. "Well, that explains why he's fusing," she said gloomily.

**

[Yuri]

I had recovered from my weakness long enough to stand. Headache pounding harder, I had focused on Nis's eyes again.

Visions came and went, vague impressions of touch and sight and hearing. They didn't make any sense but left me wanting more, to understand.

There were footsteps. I paid no attention to them, but then realized they were actually from outside.

"Someone of the clan."

"Huh. But everyone was in their chambers."

The doors were slowly pushed open. I turned to look at the guards, fully aware of my strange clothing and amber eyes. Both of them were armed with a spear, but they were polite rather than hostile.

"Sir, do you have business with the clan?"

"No."

They exchanged glances and walked forward to meet me. "Sir, what is your name?" the light haired of the two asked.

There was no name to give them, nothing that would be recognized. I shook my head, hoping to satisfy them some other way, preparing to fuse if I couldn't.

And then they caught sight of Nis's portrait. Both looked horrified as the resemblance registered. I fused into Lobos as the dark-haired one gasped. "You're-"

I formed a large sphere of rock and threw it at them. The rock shattered on impact, knocking the men down along with a few portraits. I ran past them on all fours. The doors were still open and I bounded for the outside wall. But then the wall's shadow lengthened, forming arms and claws that grasped at my paws. A new enchantment?

I turned, growling at the man who was trapping me in this garden. He chanted, strengthening the spell. I could feel the darkness tainting the earth element of the garden-

A man was kneeling, chanting as his fingers probed the earth-grass began to sprout-

Graves? In the Graveyard? I spun around, wondering what I was doing here before remembering to leave.

Somehow Lobos had gotten me into a hallway. I cursed and turned, to find myself facing twenty-some guards. It didn't take me long to figure out there was a good reason for Lobos's decision. I started running again. Turning a corner, I skidded, bashed my side into the wall, and cursed the stone floor. Poor traction sucked for running. Again I felt myself pulled into the Graveyard, fighting to keep myself out.

Doors began to fly open along the hallway. "What in Hel's name is going on?" a woman with body-length black hair demanded.

"Tsuki! Nis's child!"

Was I? Was I Nis's child? No, I was Anne's.

The woman cast a spell, filling me with pain, the same I'd felt when-

"Show yourself, monster," he commanded. I howled as another spell hit me and the gardener started forward-

The Graveyard again. I yelled in frustration, not now, not when I was getting killed-I shoved my way through the gates.

She had a raised eyebrow as she observed me. "I wonder if you're human enough to be a cannibal." There was a coppery taste of blood in my mouth and I looked down to see a man moaning. He was missing an arm. I gagged as I realized what I had done. No, what Lobos had done.

_I wonder if I'm more human or monster?_

That-that hadn't been my thought. It was Hyuga's. Torn apart, I barely had time to react as another guard swung his spear at me. It slashed my cheek and then I caught the wood in my jaws and snapped it in half. Pouncing on him, I wanted to rip out his throat, swallow his hart-no! Lobos's hunger was fully aroused after a taste of blood and flesh, and the fusion soul was screaming for more. Controlling the urge, I clawed the man's right arm quickly and then ran again.

I was bleeding from my stomach as well, I noted with almost no concern. All concern about my body was nearly non-existent. Compared to my head, my body was doing just fine.

The pain got worse though, making me enter the Graveyard again. Quickly, I stood on my hind legs and brushed a paw over the wound, healing it. That took care of my body. But without thinking, I had gotten myself onto a set of stairs, spiraling up and up. After two flights, it struck home that I'd gotten myself into a tower. How was I supposed to escape now?

My head started pounding when I passed a cell. This was a prison. My prison? I was huddled in the corner, watching my uncle-I didn't have an uncle-

The bewildering experience of seeing the same room in two different perspectives left me reeling. I tripped and moaned, cursing at my state.

"Are you alright Yuri?"

Two arms were keeping me from falling. Tilting my head, I saw blond hair and hazel eyes. Different names came to me: Keith, Tiresias, the gardener. I tried to shake it away, remember which was right. "Keith?" Without saying anything, he settled me back on my own two feet. "You are Keith, aren't you?"

The man's hand tightened on my shoulder for a brief second. "Yes, it's me."

I wouldn't be so messed up if I could remember right. And I knew who could help me. "Where's Hyuga?" I asked. He was in here somewhere. I looked at the different mounds, seeing a woman in red and purple clothing shout as another Keith tried to calm her. There was another me, a complete me who could tell me everything, help me make sense of the memories. It didn't matter how long it took; I didn't care much if I was captured, as long as I knew.

The woman turned and saw me. She looked dismayed. I...wasn't supposed to be here? Stopping, I thought, or at least tried to. Alice and Fox Face were waiting for me. They would come into the City of Darkness if I didn't return. "No. No." I didn't want Alice to put herself in danger. What if Lobos was still in control when she found me?

Still, I wanted to stay. When Hyuga saw me, he beckoned me with a small hand gesture. There was no way I could decide. I turned to Keith, hoping he would settle my mind. "I'm fused. With Lobos. This isn't the time," I said desperately, hoping he would aree with me.

The vampire nodded. "Yes. This isn't the time."

Relieved, I left the Graveyard again and discovered flesh and muscle in my mouth. Lobos had eaten again. Sickened to my stomach, I immediately disembodied and threw up on the stairs. I couldn't see but heard the guards, still after me but further away. I stumbled the rest of the way up the stairs. Now that I was slower, the noise below got louder as they thundered up.

At the top of the stairs there was a simple room with a narrow window. Grasping the frame with both hands, I put one foot on the sill, planning to jump out and then fuse into Seravi.

Another dark-classed spell hit me in the back, pushing me forward. A hand grabbed the neck of my trench coat; the only thing that kept me from falling out the window.

The woman observed me with dark green eyes, watching as I recovered from the spell's impact. With a yell I tried to get free-and then she cast another spell that sent pain through every part of my body. For a few seconds, I thought I was going to die on that cold stone floor. I watched through blurry eyes as five or six guards entered, spears ready.

"Take him prisoner," the woman commanded. "If Nemesis approves, I think I'll keep his as a pet."

"I'm not a pet," I ground out. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"He talks. Odd. Hyuga didn't talk."

"Yes, he did."

She knelt down by me. "Are you contradicting me?" She smirked. "What a naughty little pet you are."

"You call me pet one more time and I'll-" She put her hand in front of my face. My eyes widened as a huge black ball appeared. Then she grabbed my face, forcing the ball into me, and I screamed as more and more of her magic flowed into my body, destroying it slowly.

"You'll do what, pet?" she taunted me.

I couldn't answer. I was unconscious.

The black nothingness that was the Graveyard's 'sky' greeted me. I rolled over and kicked the gates out of irritation. Unconscious, there was nothing I could do.

And...if that was the case...I could talk to Hyuga now. After all, there was nothing more I could do. I walked to the based of the mound.

Two men and a woman were talking with Hyuga. "Is that bad?"

"He committed treason," the woman said. "They'll kill him, most likely."

Hyuga was not at all concerned; he smiled slightly. "Hello, Yuri."

The other turned to me, surprised. The woman grabbed my shoulder. "Yuri, you must leave the palace, right now."

I shrugged. "They've already captured me."

"How-how can you be so indifferent!" She demanded. Her eyes blazed with dark fire. "You could be killed!"

"Nothing I can do."

"You're unconscious?"

I nodded and her shoulders slumped. "Don't worry. If he dies-"

"I don't want to have to keep dunking you people in Lethe!" she replied hotly to one of the men. He had large bloodstains on his clothing. "And at this rate, at least two people would back out. One of them being Lamia. Do you want her to leave?"

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, considering. Reluctantly he admitted, "No."

Have we been reincarnated before?" the other man asked. He was almost identical to the first. Were they the same man?

"Not all of you, but most."

I'd seen one of the men before...hadn't I? Keith...Or Tiresias? Was there a difference? I knew one, but...I hadn't known the other. Which was which?

"Yuri?"

They watched me with some concern. I had started holding my forehead in pain.

"This one is Tiresias. And this one," Hyuga said, clapping his hand on the other man's shoulder, "Is your friend."

"...Keith."

Keith asked, "Why are you...."

His question was lost as Hyuga said," He's not sure who he is. Are you, Yuri?"

"No..."

"And what you are determines what everything else is," Hyuga said logically, "So if you don't know what you are, you don't know what everything else is."

I walked up the steps, closer to him. "You can tell me though."

"I know."

The woman pulled her lavender sash tighter, looking between us uncertainly. "...Won't you tell me?"

"You have something I want."

"Then take it."

For a minute he stared at me, startled by my decision. Then he smiled, only one side of his mouth pulling up. He lunged forward, his fist breaking through tangled memories and emotions to grab my soul. I gasped as I realized how fragile I was, but had enough time to catch Tyrving as Keith brought it to Hyuga's throat. "No. It's fine..."

"But Aquila-!"

"It's not the same, he'll be alright," the Asian woman said, "But I also object. If you're trying to do what I think-"

Hyuga's eyes flashed a dark red, and the cloth of his shirt flashed too. "Bind her." The silver chains she wore clinked and began to snake around her as she cried out in surprised, holding her tight.

Tiresias moved forward, but Hyuga reproached him. "Will you betray me again?"

"Tiresias!" the woman insisted when he stopped.

Tiresias moved forward, but it was too late. Hyuga took his hand out, holding a black sphere. With his other hand, he touched mine, and swiftly stepped into me, filling me with an overwhelming cold. My head filled with static and I fell down, watching as my trench coat changed into a black shirt.

**

[Fox Face]

I cursed softly as my headache grew into a migraine. Besides me, Alice murmured sleepily. I swore she was doing this on purpose, but then I saw my salvation: the sun was rising.

"Alice. Alice," I whispered. She didn't respond. "Alice!"

Her leg moved over one of my tails as she slowly woke up. Carefully I arranged the others to hide what had popped up overnight. "Uhm...yes?"

"It's dawn."

"Still early. Just a few more minutes..." She yawned.

_You are not going back to sleep on me. _ Quickly I tried to think of something that would wake her up and blurted out, "Wonder where Yuri is?"

"He's not back yet?" Alice sat up, freeing me from her embrace. I quickly moved away. "Oh! F-Fox Face, don't look."

I turned away and then asked, "What?"

"My skirt went up," she said, embarrassed. _About time she noticed._ "Alright, you can look now."

I turned round and saw Alice kneeling, grabbing her book. "Yuri's still in the city?"

She was already planning to go in the city. Was she that worried? "Alice, he's fine. He's probably just being a lazy bum and snoozing somewhere."

"But-"

"Trust me. If he doesn't come back by noon, I'll check in the Graveyard and ask Hyuga. But I'm not going to let you go in there!" I stomped my paw.

Alice glared at me, angry that I wouldn't let her go. But finally she sighed. "Alright. But as soon as it's noon, you check."

**

[Keith]

Hyuga had disappeared into Yuri. The Harmonixer sat on the ground, shivering as though cold. I knelt by him. His clothing flickered, changing to match what Hyuga's outfit had been.

Mnemosyne got up; the chains had released her as soon as Hyuga had joined with Yuri. "Tiresias! You would follow him off a cliff, wouldn't you?"

"Didn't I?"

She sighed in exasperation. "You're impossible...but it isn't your fault. You, on the other hand-Hyuga!"

Yuri wrapped his arms around his stomach. He gave a low moan as only pieces of himself changed to Hyuga looking like a composite of the two. "Hurts-"

"Well, I hope it does! That's what you get for tying me up and trying to integrate by yourself, which, by the way, breaks several bonds **you** created-are you really in that much pain?"

"Do you think I'm faking it?" Hyuga demanded. His shoulders shook more and he bit his lip. Mnemosyne stopped her haranguing to try casting a healing spell on him. "It's not working-" and then he stopped, breathing heavily, staring straight head. "Oh no."

Behind me the symbol of Darkness was glowing. Tiresias backed away from the grave, drawing a sword identical to Tyrving. A thick mist emanated from the grave and not one, but three of Yuri's fusion souls appeared.

"Hyuga, remind me to kill you later," Mnemosyne murmured as she stooped to pick him up. "It'd rid the world of one idiot."

Death Emperor struck first and Tiresias easily parried the blow. But when Czernobog joined as well as Charon, the fellow vampire had a more difficult time.

"A bit of assistance?" he asked. I drew Tyrving and prepared a spell, the size of the mound making it difficult for a fifth combatant to join the fray. "Fall back." Tiresias parried another blow and dropped behind me, letting me cast the spell. "**Hecatoncheire**!"

The mound began to split up, damaging the fusion souls, though the two graves remained miraculously intact. We both turned and ran to Mnemosyne and Yuri, watching as more fusion souls emerged from their graves and out to the furthest gate. We chose the other gates. Once inside, Tiresias turned and held the gates shut, watching in case the souls changed their minds.

"I can stand by myself," Hyuga said irritably. His arm was slung around Mnemosyne's neck.

"I'd let you have your pride, but you've been too much of an ass lately."

"What is this?" I asked, taking in the scenery composed of verdant grass and a tree on a hill. "It's already sunset?"

Yuri slowly shook his head. "N-no. One of my...his..." Yuri put a hand to his head again. "Yuri's memories."

"You're still not sure who you are?" I asked. "But Hyuga said..."

"Regina though we would, so I...but...no."

"Regina? Oh, that explains your idiocy." Mnemosyne, of course.

"She said that now was the time...and darkness...Nis...beckoning..." he trailed off, looking miserable. "It seemed like the right thing to do."

"Dummy. Why do you even listen to her?" Mnemosyne said softly. "She's just led you to your death."

"She...wants to keep us...pet..."

"Oh goody. Humiliation. I'd prefer death."

Hyuga's expression flickered. "You would, Hel."

"Don't you dare call me that name," she snapped.

"Wait," I said, trying to stop a full-blown argument from developing. "What are they doing with Alice?"  
"Alice?" His expression flickered again. Even the face was a mixture of Yuri and Hyuga. Now it seemed warmer, more confused. Definitely Yuri. "Alice...isn't with me."

"She's somewhere else in the palace?"

Slowly, he shook his head, raking his hair with his hands. "No...I didn't...she didn't come to the city."

"Makes sense," Tiresias said. "She's a light class," he explained to me. "Most demons look down on angels, but the Dark class despise them."

"Then where is she?" I demanded. "You didn't leave her alone, did you?"

I felt someone shaking my shoulders. I looked at Tiresias, but he was too far away. "Keith, you can't sleep the whole day away."

"What's the matter?" Tiresias asked, seeing my panicked expression.

"Margarete's waking me up."

"How?'

The strange question took me by surprise. "She's shaking me."

He actually looked disappointed. "No kisses?"

"Tiresias, get your priorities straight!"

"I was only inquiring-"

Realizing I had little time before I was woken up, I faced Yuri. "Come on! Where is Alice?" He placed his head in his hands. "We can't help her if we don't know where she is."

"She's fine...I think..." He trailed off as he disappeared. Sunlight pierced through, making me open my eyes.

Margarete appeared, her blond hair tickling my face. The sun was directly overhead. "Hello, sleepy head."

Halley and Zhuzhen were both glaring at me. "Do you know how long you've delayed us?"

I sighed and told them then. "Yuri's in the City of Darkness. But he and Alice were separated somewhere."

**

**Author's Note: **Yes, the scene with Alice and Fox Face. Sappy little piece of idiocy.

Margarete: ^^; It was not that bad.

Too much narration by Fox Face!!! 

Okay, like I mention in the Anne AN, I'm using different theories simply because they fit the storyline better. Fox Face is a good person now because he was supposed to be good all along; just Yuri screwed up until Fox Face was majorly pissed off. But it's not really Yuri's fault either. (At least, Yuri didn't know that it was hurting someone.)

In the Anne story, Fox Face started out bad from the beginning, because as Yuri he failed the trial-he was kind of Yuri's scapegoat. Which is also Yuri's fault. (Why do I keep blaming Yuri for this?)

When Alice mentions that they first saw Fox Face in Fengtian, that is actually a planned scene in a fanfiction I'm writing that may or may not be posted. It's basically in the same timeline as the game, same characters and all, but there's a major AU twist at the beginning that screws everything up. If I reach the halfway point with it (the same time as when Yuri tries fusing with SR), I'll probably start posting it.

Margarete: Alice is going to get so pissed off when she finds out.

Yep. But first I have to save the game script on my computer. I'm only in Zhaoyang (right?) right now, so it's still mostly like the game and I'm trying to stay consistent. Likewise, Alice saying that Yuri said it was only a monster is...well...no, that's not from the fanfiction. That's just what I think Yuri would have said.

Okay, three things I don't know: I don't know if Charon is the second level fusion soul, I don't know if Czernobog or Hecatoncheire are spelled right, and I don't know if I got a character's eye color right, and I can't check because the games are packed away. (My sister's planning on moving out. She packed up all the games, although I will try to convince her to leave behind Koudelka, since she didn't pay for it and doesn't seem interested in it, and she said she'd give me Shadow Hearts back when I get my own PS2. I also need to get a memory card for the PS2. I digress.) So...hopefully I did, or I've just gotten everyone confused and am misleading you.

o.o

Anyways...

Oh yes, Fox Face being, um...turned on the blackberries was inspired by the fact that the scent of pumpkin pie turns on men. It was the best smell for turning on men in at least one study. So ladies, buy the new perfume de pumpkin pie. ^^ There are other food scents that work for turning men on, so blackberries did not seem too farfetched.

**

**Reviewers:**

**Kimgrasshopper:** Is Alice still with Yuri over there? We haven't seen her in a while...

The front piece was more entertaining than the story? ;.;

Halley and Margarete can both arguably be sadists, with a little corruption. This makes them fun for some jokes. Keith could be a sadist, but he'd be a creepy sadist. I...no vampire sadists. Just no.

The thing about the sadistic qualities of both sides making Yuri a masochist just struck me as a funny quote. True too. If both halves are taking pleasure in the pain of the other half, than the whole is taking pleasure in its own pain. There's a masochist for you.

Sharon is definitely influenced by God. Very heavily. Now, if this is the true God, everything should be fine and dandy, shouldn't it? ^^ She will eventually overcome her fears of summoning, but I don't know yet if that will be made into a big deal or not.

'I personally do not believe that any creative force would have the "balls" to claim to be the be-all/end-all as this THING has obviously done with the Elemental world.'

Sorry, I laughed at this. Eyeball/balls. But never mind that...

Even in our world, Steven (I think, can't remember) acknowledges it to be God. It's both worlds, but the Elemental world is divided between those who rebelled against him (more on that later) and, of course, those who served him.

I don't know if I believe anything or not. Four days ago I believed in that we had eternal souls, but nothing to guide us. We had to make our own purpose in existence. Three days ago, I decided I was an atheist. Flesh and bones; when you die, that's it. I'm still planning on going to Brigham Young University lol.

Compensation? Wait...oh! I completely forgot the joke I slipped in. ^^;;; I was about to look that up before I remembered.

Yuri will never understand the Fox. The Fox has achieved enlightenment. Thou shalt worship the Fox.

Margarete: I take it it's time for another Pure root...

^^; More seriously, um...yes. He's always in the dark. That's the problem with being a darkness class.

Hey, I had the description for Hyuga in ch. 12, and I know that was way before the new Yuri came! ::grumbles:: They stole it!

Margarete: No they didn't. You had the outfit buttoned up, and then when you saw Yuri's, you wished you made it open.

-.- You actually hit it right on the head, although I don't think you meant it exactly that way...Fox Face does help Yuri a lot. And Fox Face **would** be nothing without Yuri. But I don't exactly see it as half...simply because Fox Face has somehow been forced to an unequal position. Oh well.

^^;; Send me a long review and I'll send you a long reply. That's just my nature. Plus I ramble.

**Nights Mistress:** Um, I already answered your review I think, but thanks again. ^^

**Greyfriars:** Yes, fanfiction.net is stupid. Right now it won't let me check my reviews, so I have to do it by checking my e-mail. Sometimes reviews don't get e-mailed to me, so...if I missed anyone, I'm sorry.

People seemed to like Aquila Rose. o.o? I don't know why.

'Wow' is not an adjective. It's an exclamation. But thank you ^^.

I liked stringing Yuri up too. Originally there was going to be a scene where Yuri had to sleep up in there all night and when everyone woke up he was drooling and it was going all the way to the ground-don't ask me. I thought it was funny.

**Steel:** Seeing as it's a dream...no nosebleed. Besides, it's the **guys** that get nosebleeds, because they get too excited. ^^ Although Alice might...

**ssj4 Yuffie:** Thank you!


	28. Classic Misdirection

**Disclaimer:**  All I own is all I own.  Which doesn't include SH, but does include a cold.  Dang.

**

[Margarete]

            "Yuri's in the City of Darkness.  But he and Alice were separated somewhere."

            "They separated?" I said blankly.  That just didn't add up.  Why would they separate in this world?

            "How do you know?" Sharon asked as I sat back to let Keith sit up.

            "Mnemosyne brought Tiresias and me to the Graveyard.  By the way, Margarete," he said with a nod to me, "You were right.  I am the reincarnation of Tiresias, and it seems we're all reincarnations.  Except, perhaps, for Sharon."

            "Of course not," Sharon said.  She seemed offended by the very idea.  "Those who drink of Lethe drink damnation to their souls.  Unless they repent, they cannot be angels of God."

            Between what Keith and Sharon said, I was a bit confused.  "But what about Sarah and Alice?"

            "What about them?" Zhuzhen asked, leaning against his staff.

            I stood up and looked at Sharon.  The girl looked back at me calmly, self-assured.  She has a small, pleasant smile that would've looked normal on an adult woman.  "Well, on one side we have one of the highest angels of God.  On the other side we've got a woman who can deliver impromptu sermons."

            Halley grinned.  Yuri had often been the one receiving the lecture, which could end with a bible-bash if he fell asleep during it.  Some of the funniest lectures were on lechery—especially when Yuri tried to sneak peaks while Alice was looking in her bible.  Those usually ended in a good bible-bash.  "And most of her higher-level spells are based on religion," he added.

            "Exactly," I said.  "But then, somewhere in between there, we have them doing something equivalent to drinking damnation to their soul."  I let everyone think about the absurdity of it.  "How does that work?"

            Keith shrugged.  "How does a Catholic killing God work?"

            "But that wasn't really God."

            "So it's not really God now."

            "Yes it is!" Sharon insisted.  "And Sarah will repent for her lust."

            The lust again.  "Look, Sharon—"  I stopped myself.  She was a little girl, and just because she believed whatever the 'angels' told her, didn't mean I should get mad at her.  "You're saying Sarah lusted after Hyuga."

            Sharon nodded.  "She did."

            "And Hyuga is Yuri?"  This time I looked to Keith for confirmation.

            "Yes," Keith said.  "And that's something I have to tell—"

            "Just wait," I said, cutting him off.  "Alice loves Yuri.  Why is it so ridiculous that Sarah really loved Hyuga?"

            "God knew what was in Sarah's heart," Sharon replied.

            "Then prove it," I said.  "If he could tell what Sarah thought, what am I thinking?"

            "'Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God'," Sharon told me.

            I ignored the scripture reference and doggedly continued.  "Alice and Sarah have the same soul.  Do you think Alice lusts after Yuri?"  I was sure of her answer now; she knew Alice herself.

            But something odd happened.  She started to shake her head, but she stopped from doing so.  She seemed distracted, as though listening to something else.

            I grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to focus on me.  "It's a simple question Sharon.  You don't need his help to answer."

            "'Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding'."

            "I don't want a sermon, I want your honest opinion."

            "Margarete, that's enough," Halley said, coming between Sharon and me.  Sharon was looking down at the ground.

            "Look Sharon, I'm sorry."  I hadn't meant to get her upset, but some of the things she was saying…or that 'God' was telling her to say…were just pissing me off.

            "Of…that's fine…" Sharon still seemed ashamed, and I realized it was something 'God' considered wrong.

            "…Shall I continue?" Keith asked.  "This is something rather important."

            "Hope so," Halley said.  "You slept so long me and Margarete had to carry you.  For two miles."

            "Nest time we'll just ditch you," I said jokingly.  It had been pretty hard lugging him around though.  He was the heaviest one here.

            Keith glanced at me and frowned.  Oversleep seemed to have destroyed his sense of humor.  "Yuri was captured by the Darkness Clan.  He was caught trespassing in their palace."

            "What'd the kid do that for?" Zhuzhen demanded.

            Keith looked a bit uncertain.  "I think," he said slowly, "Regina was influencing him."  He tapped his fingers on the purple cloth of his suit.  "The problem is he resembles Hyuga so greatly they already know he's a descendent.  Hyuga betrayed the clan, so it seems Yuri could be put to death."

            I stared at Keith.  "Please say you're joking."

            "No.  However, it seems Yuri's in some luck.  Whoever caught him wants to keep him as a pet."

            "That's not lucky, that's demeaning," I said.

            "If he's kept as a pet, he's kept alive," Keith said with a great deal of patience.  He got off the ground, dusting himself off.  "And he has some hope of escaping.  Once he recovers."

            This immediately brought a frown from me.  "What'd they do to him?" Halley asked.

            Keith shrugged.  "I do not know.  At the least, they rendered him unconscious.  However, in the Graveyard, he was rather confused.  His mental state concerns me more than his physical health.  That was why Mnemosyne brought us to the Graveyard.  She wanted Tiresias's expertise on dealing with…Hyuga's odd behavior."  Keith actually smiled a bit.  "He was hanging upside down on a tombstone."

            The sad thing was, I could imagine Yuri doing the same.  It was an amusing idea.  "Why didn't she ask any of us?"

            Keith thought about it and shrugged.  "Perhaps Tiresias knew Hyuga best."

            "I knew him longest."

            Everyone turned to Halley.  He had a surprised expression as he asked, "Did I say that out loud?"

            "Yeah…"

            Nervously he laughed.  "Er, ignore that.  It just popped into my head."

            "You better not be hearing God too," I grumbled.  One angel was enough.  Sharon stuck her tongue out at me.

            "No, it's not that."

            "Don't go insane Halley.  We have enough to worry about," Zhuzhen said dryly, smiling all the same.  Halley shook his head and folded his arms.  He brushed his neck, like it was sore.  "So where is Alice then?"

            "He did not say.  I am not sure if he even knows.  He did say though that she did not come with him to the City of Darkness."

            "He left her?"  I said furiously.  If he had left her, he would be dead meat when I found him.

            "Alice could be anywhere from Tripura to the City of Darkness then," Zhuzhen concluded.

            "If we didn't pass her on the way here," I said, pointing out that Alice could have gone in any direction.  We wouldn't know.  And without Yuri, who stood out for his resemblance to Hyuga and fusion powers, I didn't see how we'd be lucky enough to hear rumors on Alice, unless she used Advent on someone, but that was unlikely.  How could we locate her?  I thought, and then turned to Halley.  "How far can you send a message?"

            "Telepathically?"

            "No, miming.  Of course I mean telepathically!"

            Ignoring my sarcasm, he answered, "A hundred miles or so.  I'm not that good at it…"

            "Well, let's see if it's good enough.  Tell Alice we're going in Tripura.  If she's here too, she'll stay put."  Even if she were nearby, it'd help.

            Halley nodded and closed his eyes to concentrate.  He stood still for a moment or so before reopening sky blue eyes.  "Alright, done."

            "Good.  Hopefully we'll meet her soon."

            As we walked, Sharon walked by Halley, holding his hand as he led her.  She leapt forward when she fell too far behind his longer stride.  Zhuzhen proceeded a few feet away from us, content to take in the sight of Tripura.

            Keith walked beside me.  Despite his oversleeping, he was wide awake, cheerful, and humming.  I smiled, wondering what old song he was remembering.

            "So you are not angry with me."

            "No," I said, surprised.  "Of course not.  Why do you think that?"

            "I had an interesting dream," he said.  "You nailed me shut in my coffin because I had as much emotion as a corpse."

            "Look, don't worry about what Aquila Rose said," I told him.  Why did he keep thinking about her words?

            His eyebrows rose in surprise.  "How do you know she said it?"

            "Halley told me while you were sleeping," I lied easily.  I had lied yesterday too when I told him I didn't remember what Aquila Rose had done.  Everything was there in my memory, including how rude she was to Keith.  But if I said I couldn't remember, Keith would understand that we had been two completely different people, nothing alike.  Now she was gone, and then things she'd said and done meant nothing.

            So why did Keith continue bringing her up?  Was he angered by what she'd said?  Was he angry with me?

            "Why are you sad?" the vampire asked.

            I looked up from the stretch of verdant grass into Keith's mossy green eyes.  "I'm not sad.  I'm just thinking."

            "Thinking is making you sad."

            "Stop bringing her up."

            "Does it make you uncomfortable?" he asked, concerned.

            "No, but it's pointless.  She's gone."

            "I know she's gone.  But I think what she said was important."

            "Important?  She was joking the whole time."

            "How would you know?" he said.

            "Even if she wasn't," I persisted, "she's gone now.  Good riddance."

            "'Good riddance'?" Keith repeated.  His tone rose with annoyance.  "She did not deserve to be destroyed."

            "She was a naive, selfish little fool—"

            "She had only been born that morning.  What did you expect?"

            "For her to be more like me."

            "Both selfish," Keith muttered, using an oath that startled me.  I'd never heard him swear like that before.  He walked off to join Zhuzhen.

            What had I done for him to call me selfish?  I thought about it and decided oversleeping had taken its toll.

**

[Alice]

            "And then I pounced him.  Sooo much fun.  Should've seen his face."  Fox Face wagged his tails, proud of himself.

            "You attacked Yuri?" I asked in disbelief.

            "Hyuga told me to.  Anyway, you should see the Chimera.  It's good, but the fusion's harder than the Seraphic Radiance."

            "Why?" I asked, leaning forward.  Fox Face was obviously getting into his story.

            "It's six partial fusions, one for each element.  It's insane, you have to keep all of them in line and in balance with each other or you lose the whole thing."  His chest was puffed up with pride, much as Yuri's was when he'd done something good.

            "Aren't you satisfied with yourself," I said with a wry smile.

            "It's the best fusion!" he exclaimed.  I giggled as he let his tails **fly** from side to side, whacking the bushes.  Then I leaned back and saw the sky.  I sighed.

            "Alright Fox Face, it's past noon and Yuri's not back.  Now stop trying to distract me."

            His tails stopped.  "But I was doing such a good job!"

            "Yes you were.  Now check in the Graveyard."

            Unfortunately, today Fox Face was in a stubborn mood.  He snagged a berry, chewing on it before spitting it out in disgust.  "He's fine.  Probably got drunk and its having a hangover right now."

            "Maybe," I conceded, "But just to be safe."

            "What, he still needs a babysitter?"

            I sighed in exasperation.  "Please, Fox Face…"

            "There's no reason to, he's probably just being an idiot and—"

            "Yuri Ivan Hyuga!"  The kitsuune flinched at the use of his true full name.  "You will go to the Graveyard, and you will check on your other half."

            Fox Face hung his had.  "Fine, I'll go."  He found a suitable resting place and then spun around, as a dog would.

            I laughed.  "What are you doing?" I asked in the middle of the third turn.

            Fox Face stopped, looking surprised.  He sheepishly looked down at his paws.  I could tell he'd done it unconsciously.  Strange; the kitsuune's instincts must be influencing him.  This time he simply lay down and went to sleep.

            Hopefully Yuri was having a hangover.  I couldn't think of any other explanation for his absence without envisioning him injured, maybe even dead.  No, he couldn't be dead.  Fox Face was still here, wasn't he?

            I tried to think of something else.  How long had we been in this world?  What were Margarete and Keith doing?  Had Margarete stolen Tyrving from him again?

            What were they all doing?  They had seen both Yuri and me disappear.  Were they trying to figure out a way to get here, or had they already come…?

            With some guilt I remembered I hadn't sent a letter to my mother in two weeks.  Of course, I hadn't because I couldn't; but she must be so worried about me.  Last time she had thought I was dead.  What did she think this time?

**

[Margarete]

            I gazed at the roofs of several tall buildings.  They glittered with gold, showing how wealthy their inhabitants were.  Still, I thought the City of Water had been more impressive.

            "How strange.  The Water class prefers the Water city," Zhuzhen said with some sarcasm after I expressed my opinion.

            "Hey, it was less gaudy than this," I said.  The whole place was sparkling yellow, although it was obvious not all of it was gold.

            "I don't like this place," Halley said slowly.

            "See?  Even the Air class doesn't like it, Zhuzhen."

            "What do you think Keith?"  Zhuzhen then remembered the youngest.  "And you, Sharon?"

            "The Water clan is closer to God," Sharon said.  It seemed that was her only criteria in deciding the better one.  Keith simply shrugged, uncaring.

            On the inside though, my curiosity was aroused when we found a large market place.  There were some buildings with stores, but most of it was open-air, stands of fabric and food and perfumes and incense and candles and—

            "Margarete, no," Keith said, pulling my jacket to keep me from the jewelry.

            "Please?  Just a few minutes—"

            "No."

**

            "…Persephone.   Persephone."  Slowly the summoner woke up and regarded Syth.  "Hyuga's…lover, at the moment…her name is Alice?"

              Still groggy from the sleep spell, the summoner tried to recall names.  "Yes."

            "Then we have a lead on Hyuga," Kain said.

            "You what?!"

            Syth glared at Kain and the illusionist smiled guiltily.  "We may have a lead," Syth corrected.  It was too late; all traces of the sleep spell's effects were gone and Persephone was eager to go.  She tried to get off the lumpy bed, but Syth easily pushed her back down.  "Hold on, Pers."

            "Where is he?  He's alright, isn't he?"

            "We don't know.  Like I said, may."

            The disappointment on her face was obvious.  "Oh.  I thought you'd found him."  She slouched, drawing up her knees.

            _And now she's depressed_, Syth noted unhappily.  _It shouldn't affect her this much_.  "I heard a message addressed to Alice, and the sender mentioned a Yuri.  The sender seemed to be a friend of theirs."

            "I see…" Persephone thought she knew who the sender was, remembering the blond boy she had fought.

            "From the message, it sounds like Alice and Hyuga have been separated.  He was telling her to stay in Tripura if she was there and they'd meet her.  She'd probably know where he is."

            She took a look around the room, seeing it was too impersonal to be anything but an hotel room.  "We're in Tripura, aren't we?"

            "Yes."

            Her whole face lit up.  "So all we have to do is track them!"

            She got up and shrugged on a small blue jacket.  Syth gave up on her caring about anything other than Hyuga.  _Anyone_, he reminded himself.  _He's not a thing_.

            "Hold on Pers," Kain said.  He clapped his hand on her head and Syth watched as Pers became a red-head with blue eyes.  Her clothing changed to an extremely short dress.

            "Kain, my clothing is fine," Persephone said, nervously tugging down the pants she was wearing.  "No illusions there."

            "But that's the current style," Kain protested.

            The illusion was riving her nuts.  She didn't like showing off her legs, and even though she knew it was only illusion, she still didn't like it.  "I don't care."

            Kain sighed and dropped that part of the illusion, choosing instead to play with her face so she'd be unrecognizable.  She ended with a more heart-shaped face, larger eyes, and less freckles.

            Syth groaned, knowing it was his turn next.  Kain could be insufferable when he was casting illusions, insisting on 'perfection'.  And, as always, Kain would bump his height a few inches.

            "Your hair and eyes always have to be disguised," Kain said, looking at the crystalline hair and odd gray color.  "Eye color?"

            "Bro…" Syth stopped, impulsively choosing a different color.  "Green.  Vivid green."

            "Hair color?"

            "White-blond."

            Kain frowned at the unusual request.  Only an angel would have that hair color.  But then, angels did come to Tripura on occasion, and were well-known for being generous with their money, which got them respect from merchants.  An angel could be useful.

            Once done, Syth looked in the mirror hanging on the wall.  His hair was a pure white, and the eyes were various shades of green.  The lightest shades rimmed the pupil and the darkest, a true green, were on the outside.  Kain had done quite well.

            Syth felt a pain in his chest and covered it with his hand.  He was only a third, if not nothing compared to what he had once been.

            Kain's face joined him in the mirror.  The illusionist was grinning, pleased with his new tan.  His hair was a light blond and his eyes violet, one of the more unusual colors.  "I thought the point was to not stand out?"

            "Says the one who wants to be an angel outside Eden."

            "That has a purpose," Syth said.

            "This does too.  It looks good."

            Persephone rolled blue eyes and grabbed both men by the arms.  "Come on, let's get going!"

**

[Alice]

            Fox Face rolled onto his feet.  I watched him closely, but I sensed more than saw his worry.  "Well…what's wrong?"

            His ears perked up.  "Huh?  No, nothing's wrong.  I told you, he's fine."

            I stared the fox down and told him, "Fox Face…you don't lie to a Demon Eyes."

            He appeared indignant, though his worry increased.  Was he worried for himself?  Maybe I had been wrong about Yuri's other half.  "I'm not lying to you."

            "Then tell me the truth," I said calmly.

            He was even more worried now.  He was worried about himself.  "He's fine."  Why was he lying?  Did he want Yuri to suffer?  I thought he was sympathetic to Yuri, but perhaps he was still angry.

            If he wouldn't tell me the truth I would force him to.  I stood up and told him, "If you don't tell me the truth, I am going to find Yuri and find out what's wrong myself."

            The kitsuune's eyes bulged out.  "No you are not!"

            "Then what's wrong with him?"

            "I told you, nothing!"

            I gripped my bible tightly and turned away from Fox Face, towards the City of Darkness.  "Then I'm going."

            "Alice!"  Fox Face quickly stood in my path.  I simply went around him and continued.  He caught up to me, trying to block me, though he didn't use any force.  "Alice, he's not in trouble.  Not that much."

            "So he is in trouble."

            "A bit," Fox Face said, still trying to slow my progress.  "It's not that bad."

            "What's wrong?" I demanded.

            "It's nothing to be worried about."

            Why was he being so evasive?  I finally lost my temper and shouted, "Fox Face, I'm going in that city and nothing you do is going to stop me!"

            Fox Face looked after me as I stormed towards the city.  I ignored his shouts and demands for me to come back.  They only served to quicken my pace.  His aura was changing now, becoming more determined, and—he wasn't—was he using magic?

            I turned around too late to block, but in time to see the dark-classed spell headed towards me.

**

**Author's Note:**  Misdirection is fun…

Kim, here's Margarete.  ::drags in a large cardboard box that is making suspicious thumping noises::  …and Keith.  It was the only way I could get her in.

**

**Reviewers:**

**Darkness Angel:**  Foxie and Ally?  That sounds kind of nice…^^

**Greyfriars:**  Yes, pumpkin pie can turn some guys on too.  I've heard vanilla, and I've also heard donuts.  (Mm…donuts…)

'Poisoned Instant Custard' could be the name of a band.  I'm referring to the ambrosia as the food (or drink?) of the Greek gods, which makes people who eat/drink it immortal.  They should have Zeus do endorsements for that instant custard.

-.-;  And now I'm hungry.

**MikoNoNyte:**  Hm…leaning a bit towards insecurity here…and it's not rhetorical because it has to be answered.  Sometime.

I thought that he might have been afraid of her because of when he first wakes up from his Graveyard visit.  To me it seemed like he was being a little abrupt and maybe rude to Alice.  If not afraid, probably suspicious.

The angel with wings is not referring to Koudelka.  On the other hand, now I'm wondering where there's an angel with wings from its head in Koudelka.  …Did anyone get my reference to Koudelka a few chapters back?

Cats are so much better than dogs.  But I get the feeling Alice is a dog-lover.  (Not in the bestiality sense.  Unless Fox Face qualifies.  Does he?)  Calicos are the best.  ^^

Yes.  Hyuga is listening to Regina.  I…hehehehehe…never mind.

::has Chesire cat grin, favorite grin::

And Regina has never wanted any harm to come to Yuri.  She just wants him, plain and simple.

Tiresias as 'gardener' will be explained later, but it has to do with how both men are connected (in my mind) with gardens.  Yuri had the garden with his father.  Keith…well…see, the Earth stone is in Nina's garden and the Earth stone is the same element as Keith and its even in his town, so….  .  Good enough for me.

Which is all good, but now I've got myself thinking about gardening yaoi.  I'm not even sure how to explain it, but Keith and Yuri rolling around in tons of flowers sounds very interesting right now…

Of course Foxie has the hots for Alice!  He's part of Yuri, isn't he?  ^^  Alice has an excuse for being in la-la land.  She **was** asleep most of the time.

Hey, this is not 'Torture the Reader'.  This is 'Torture the Muse'.  Regina's here to help.

Regina:  Ohohohoho…  ::brandishes cat o' nine tails::  Yuri  ^^

Margarete is on her way, along with Keith.  Hope you don't mind.  It sounds like Regina's getting impatient for Yuri.

::reads her response::  This might be the first time my response was longer than your review.

**Mina Aino1:**  Well, when you reach this chapter…Thanks for reading!

**Seriyu-the-ice-dragon:**  Glad you like it.  Is your name based off of Chinese mythology?  (I thought it was 'Seiryuu', but I dunno.)


	29. What's death between friends?

**Disclaimer:**  I don't own Shadow Hearts, but I do own a very cruddy computer.  Not for long though, once I get the firecrackers all fitted in…

**

[Halley]

            Margarete looked unhappy as we forced her to pass up the stalls and shops.  I had to admit, some of the items they were selling were pretty interesting.  There was a large store advertising 'slave bracelets' and I wondered what they were.

            _It's a euphemism.  They're practically shackles._

            The voice stopped me.  It was the same voice that had spoken before.  'I knew him longest'.  Nervously I glanced back at everyone, but it didn't seem I had said anything.

            I laughed suddenly, getting everyone's attention.  I quickly shut up, although Margarete continued watching me inquisitively.

            _Hello, didn't know I could do that.  Focus and keep your mouth shut—you're blurting out whatever comes to mind._

            _Well don't talk when I'm about to, _I answered.  I had been about to say something, but his distraction made me forget what.

            "Come on Halley," Keith said.  "Let's find a place for meeting."

            I opened my mouth to tell them I was coming, and heard, "Why do you even bother with that beast?"

            Everyone was staring at me.  _What are you doing?_ I asked.

            _I'm simply asking him a question,_ the voice said smoothly.  _Let me finish._

_            Tell me who you are first._

Just a bit confused, Keith asked, "Were you addressing me?"

            "No—yes.  Why do you keep helping Hyuga?"

            I covered my mouth with one hand, realizing I had called Yuri a monster.  _What are you saying?_

_            The truth._

Zhuzhen twisted his staff into the dusty ground, watching me carefully.  "Halley…are you saying Hyuga's a beast?"

            "He isn't," I said, focusing on my words so he couldn't slip anything else in.

            "Yes he is."  This time it was Sharon who said it.

            "Don't be ridiculous," Margarete said sharply.

            "But he is.  He was born of a kitsuune, which makes him a beast.  He has the soul of the devil."

            "Hyuga did not seem like any sort of monster to me," Keith said.  "Nor any kind of demon."

            "So says the devil's servant."

            Keith received the insult with an indifferent expression, but Margarete was fuming.  "Why the hell are you saying things like that, Sharon?"

            "Because they're true."

            "True?  That Alice lusts after Yuri, that Yuri is a devil and a beast, and that Keith is his servant—I've never heard such idiotic crap in my life!"

            An outburst in a marketplace is the best way to gain attention.  I shook my head as a few onlookers gathered, listening to someone chuckling in my head.  _My, Lamia's gotten warmer, hasn't she?_

_            Shut up._

_            Why should I?_ He said nonchalantly.  _But the way she's defending him…looks like she's been taken in like everyone else.  Hopefully Lamia's kept her wits about her._

            Strange.  First he had referred to Margarete as Lamia, but now it sounded like they were two separate people.

            _Paradox, isn't it?  Just like you and me._

            I focused my thoughts on him, more interested now.  _You mean you're my shadow soul?_

_            The one and only…_

"Oh, shut up!" Margarete exploded.  There were about ten people watching us.  "I don't care if it's God or the devil, just stop parroting!"

            Sharon had a blank face, wiped clean of any emotion.  "Be quiet, Kae."

            Margarete didn't even blink at the odd name, but I thought it was even weirder now.  Why was Sharon calling her that?

            _Kae?_ The voice asked.  _Oh god, you mean it's the twin?!_

            "Just listen to me," Margarete said, approaching Sharon.  The girl's jade eyes narrowed and she brought a hand up.  There were white sparks and Zhuzhen, seeing the danger, grabbed Margarete's arm.

            "What is that Sharon?" the Adept asked.

            She smiled, her lips pulled tight in anger.  I had never seen Sharon like this, even when she did get mad at someone.  Again she seemed to have that unapproachable aura to me, that no one could touch her.  "She seems to be doubting the power of God.  I want to show her a bit of that power."

            The crowd was gathering more quickly; there had to be at least thirty people here.  _Why are we so interesting?_

_            There's a young angel,_ the voice explained.  _A child from Eden._

_            No she's not._

_            But that's what they think._

            Sharon waved Margarete towards her in a taunting manner.  "Do you fear God?"

            "Course not," Margarete said.

            "Then touch it," Sharon said.  She put out the glittering hand, level with Margarete's waist.  "Touch my hand."

            _What's she going to do?_ I asked nervously.  I did not like the cocksure expression on Sharon's face.

            _Depends.  Does she hate Kae?_

_            Margarete, and no, I don't think so._

_            You sound uncertain,_ the voice remarked.  I wasn't too sure, since they had been arguing so much lately.  _If the girl hates her, she's likely to kill or maim her.  Wouldn't be the first time an angel's struck down a demon in the market.  And if she doesn't hate her, Kae will probably just get shocked.  Big time.  Wish I could see,_ he complained.

            "Margarete, don't touch her hand!" I yelled.  I doubted Sharon was actually angry or powerful enough to kill Margarete, but if something was controlling her…

            The spy shrugged carelessly.  "What are you worried about?"  She reached forward.

            There was a bright flash of light, blinding me and everyone else in the marketplace.  I shielded my eyes with my sleeve, struggling to make out what was happening.

            The light slowly dimmed.  Margarete was on her knees, her eyes held closed.  Slowly she laughed and opened her eyes, getting up.  "Lots of flash for such a little spell."

            There were some chuckles from the crowd, but more were simply amazed.

            _It didn't seem to hurt her._

_            Then either she's amazingly strong, Sharon is the weakest vessel I've ever seen—well, I can't see her, but anyways—or this Margarete is a good actress._

I watched closely and noticed a slight tremor in the spy's movements.  _Actress.  Figures._

_            Makes sense.  Lamia and Kae were both actresses._

            Sharon saw Margarete's weakness too.  Her face softened and she seemed more childlike, more Sharon.  "Let me heal you."

            "No, I don't need it," the older woman tossed back.  She looked disdainfully on the gathered crowd, her jacket and belt flapping in the sharp wind that had suddenly picked up.  "Come on people, show's over."

            I laughed at her remark and looked around.  The crowd was slowly dispersing, although it looked like we might have some trouble getting rid of everyone.  I noticed something odd; further away a young redheaded girl and blond man were practically hauling a man towards an alleyway.  But the man didn't look scared, only puzzled as he was carried away.

**

            Kain had gotten Syth's arm first, then called for Persephone to help.  Between the two of them, with Kain doing the most work, Syth was carried into the nearest alleyway.

            "We just had to run into an angel," Kain complained.  Quickly he transformed Syth's appearance from green-eyed angel to brown-eyed brunette.  Just to be safe, he altered the lines of Syth's face, making it more angular, and lengthened the hair so it could have been tied back.

            Syth smiled a bit at Kain's frantic changes.  "The most that would've happened was her figuring out I wasn't an angel.  I don't see why you're so worried."

            "You've never impersonated an angel," Kain said.  "They hate demons impersonating them.  Did it once during the war, and guess who I got caught by?"

            From the way he said it, it must have been a well-known angel.  "Michael?  Uriel?"

            "No.  Worse."

            Worse?  Michael and Uriel were the most hot-tempered angels Syth knew.  "Zerachiel?"

            "Sarah."

            "You're lucky you're still alive," Syth said with wide brown eyes.

            "Lucky?" Kain said indignantly.  "The only reason I didn't die was because Hyuga broke in at the same time!"

            Persephone laughed.  "So you got beaten by an angel?  I thought you looked down on them."

            Kain shook his head.  "I don't like them because they're mindless idiots.  But never insult an angel as a fighter.  Even the weakest are decent, and the strongest, well…the archangels have gone undefeated for nearly seventy thousand years."

            "I thought Remiel was defeated in the war," Persephone interrupted.

            "No, he just disappeared after its end.  I heard that he had accomplished his purpose and underwent the absolution.  Although," Kain said, his face brightening as he remembered, "I did hear this rumor once about Remiel and Sarah eloping in the mortal world."

            "And it was just a rumor," Syth said.

            Kain shrugged.  "Wouldn't blame them."

            Persephone looked over Syth and Kain.  Then she fingered a strand of red hair.  "We look too different for traveling together, Kain.  And only you look like you're from here."

            Kain frowned and then put his hand on Syth's head.  He changed the eyes to blue, softened the face a bit, and added a dash of freckles.  He stepped back and saw with some satisfaction that Syth and Persephone could now pass for brother and sister.

            "There.  You two are siblings, and…I'm an acquaintance."

            Persephone shook her head.  "Just can't bear to give up the violet, can you?"

            "Yes, but I know you like your hair red.  So hush before I make it green."

            The teenager was disgusted at the thought of the awful color.

**

[Fox Face]

            _I am so dead._

I nuzzled Alice, my heart sinking when she didn't respond.  The longer she was out, the worse it had probably hurt her and the angrier she would be when she woke up.  I scanned over her, making sure I had healed all the damage.  Lobos was stubborn today so I used Egil's water magic to cure her.

            _I am so dead.  I knocked her out.  As soon as she wakes up she's going to kill me.  Ego is going to come back and find Alice wearing a fur coat.  And he'll **laugh**._

            Alice's eyes started to flutter open.  I backed up a little, but Alice's glare froze me in place.  She was mad.  I thought I'd seen her mad before, but I was wrong.  Before she'd only been irritated.  Now she had an angry, piercing blue stare.  This was mad.  This was fur-coat mad.

            Alice said nothing, letting me sweat out the silence.  Finally I came up with, "Feeling well?"

            "Surprisingly well," she said, "seeing as you just hit me from behind with dark-classed magic!"

            "Actually, that was two hours ago."

            "Two hours?" she repeated in disbelief.  I shouldn't have told her, I decided.  "Two—you could have killed me!"

            "No, I couldn't!  And I wasn't trying to hurt you, just knock you out."

            "Then why was I out for so long?" she demanded.

            "It's not my fault you're out of practice!"

            Quite a bit of color flooded her face, and I knew I'd sealed my death sentence.  Her face still colored red, she smiled sweetly, scaring me even more.  "Let's see just how out of practice I am.  Start running."

            "Why?" I asked hesitantly.

            "You have ten seconds to run.  At the end of ten seconds I'll cast a spell and we'll see how long my range is.  That sounds like a fair test, doesn't it?"

            "At me?"  She nodded and I protested, "But I'm a Dark class!"

            "And you hit a Light class with Dark-classed magic.  Now start running."

            "I know you're joking Alice," I said gaily, trying to persuade her.

            She ignored me and closed her eyes.  "Nine...Eight..."

            "You can't be that mad."

            "Seven...Six..." she said with a raised voice.  Light began to gather around her bible.  "Five..."  Convinced she was really serious, I finally turned and started running.  It was already too late; Alice wasn't as out of practice as I had thought.  She still had a good range and a mean Blessed Light.

            The spell knocked me down onto my side. _Well, that wasn't so bad_, I told myself, _At least she didn't use Advent._  My left side hurt like all hell though, and I realized I'd used up my magic healing Alice.  How ironic.

            Alice stomped on the brownish grass as she approached me.  "Now will you tell me where Yuri is?"

            Not wanting another Blessed Light, I finally told her the truth--at least, part of it.  "He's in prison."

            "What?"  Alice sat down, looking at me incredulously.  Her stare made me feel guilty, but I hadn't done anything wrong.  "Fox Face, why didn't you tell me before?"

            "Because I thought you'd storm the prison."

            "And I will," she said, standing up again, "And if you hit me with another spell, you will regret it."

            I already regretted the first one.  But when she turned to leave, I got up, wincing at the pain in my side, and grabbed her sleeve with my jaws.  Gently though; I didn't want to rip it and piss her off even more.  "Hold on," I said, the words thick because of the fabric.  "Just hold your horses.  Sit down for a sec."

            After a moment, her fists clenched, she sat down.  "I don't understand Fox Face.  Are you still angry at Yuri?"

            Her reasoning stung.  Maybe a year and a half ago I would have done it to hurt him, but I'd changed.  "I did it to protect you.  And I don't hate him," I said firmly.

            She looked at me for a long time and then said, "No, you don't.  I'm sorry."

            Alice was calmer now, possibly because she'd realized her own mistake.  I sighed in relief.  "That's fine.  But listen to me.  This isn't like our world.  Most people here can sense auras, at least well enough to tell what class a person is.  You'd be a Light class in a city that hates Light classes.  Amon would be more subtle than you, and that's saying something.  Actually, just how were you planning on breaking Yuri out?"  She opened her mouth and then thought better of it, and smiled guiltily.  "You weren't actually going to just walk in there, were you?"

            "Well--I can't just stay here if he's in prison!"

            "Alice, he used to be a thief.  He's gotten himself in trouble before, he's gotten himself out.  Give him...give him two more days."

            The exorcist nearly exploded.  "Two--"

            "And I'll go check in the Graveyard as often as you want and make sure he's fine," I offered to assuage her fears.  Hopefully two days would be enough for my other half and Hyuga to straighten themselves out.  Of course, that was probably being too optimistic.

**

[Yuri]

            There was a strong scent of lavender that woke me up.  Heavy metal weighted my ankles and wrists down, and the cold night wind and stone floor made me realize I'd lost my clothes.

            "We searched you for weapons.  Standard process," a woman with raven black hair said. "And my, these do look quite lethal."

            She toyed with my claws as I glared at her, chuckling when she noticed.  "You don't like me?  You should, we're family.  You're descended from my dear sweet cousin, the monster."

            The floor became soft grass I stood upon while a man with blond hair looked down on me appraisingly.  "This is the monster?"

            "I'm not a monster," I answered.  "You're an angel; doesn't God know I'm not a monster?"

            "It knows how to mimic!" the man said with some mirth.  I didn't see what was funny about it.  If even the angels thought I was a monster, even God...then I was.  But monsters couldn't speak.

            The angel disappeared, sinking beneath a black river.  There was a woman with fair skin and pretty brown eyes.  She watched me closely.

            "He called me a monster in the guise of a human.  He said I have the soul of a beast," I told Mnemosyne.

            "Just goes to show what idiots angels are," she replied tightly, her brown eyes flashing in anger.

            "But God is omniscient.  How can angels be wrong?"

            "They are."

            I sat down on the rock, watching the black river, full of crystals.  There were more than normal.  "Busy day?"

            "Famine in the mortal world.  It'll be like this for a while," Mnemosyne answered, following a pair of gems, one blue and the other white, that circled around each other as they drifted down.  She stood near the rock.  She was silent, but then she suddenly threw her arms around me.  "Little master, what is wrong?"

            I settled into her hold, wishing she felt more real and less dream. "I just wonder why I bother talking when no one wants to hear me."

            "Why don't you speak?"

            I was back on the stone floor with cold chains attached to each of my limbs.  The dark-haired woman casually touched me on my shoulder and I shied from the contact. "I know you can.  Your monster forms are interesting though."

            My monster forms?  I looked down and saw my feet changing from talons to paws as my legs shifted from brown to blue scales.  The blue began to spread up until it mingled with dark leathery skin and white fur.  Seravi pushed me down into the Graveyard, putting me face to face with the gardener.  Realizing I was human now, I began to back away.  His light eyebrows drew together in confusion and he touched my shoulder, making me flinch.  "Hyuga, is something wrong?"

            Had he mistaken me for someone else?  But there was no one in the clan named Hyuga.  Who could he be thinking of?

            "How old are you?" he asked.

            Was he mocking me?  Everyone said I couldn't speak, and it had to be obvious who I was.  But he looked serious.  "Seven years old.  Sir," I added, remembering he was a candidate in the Earth clan.

            "Sir?"  The gardener smiled.  "It's been a long time since you called me that."  I simply stared at him, wondering what he meant.  I'd never spoken to him before.  He sighed at my silence.  "Mnemosyne."

            "Do you know her?" I asked curiously.  If he knew her, then she couldn't be a dream.

            But the woman who appeared wasn't Mnemosyne.  She had no brown eyes, and I remembered Mnemosyne always wearing purple and black, not purple and red.  "Yes, Tiresias?"

            "He's come out of it, but he thinks he's younger now.  Seven."

            "Now that he's joining with Yuri, perhaps they have to start all over again.  He'll probably think he's eight soon."

            "Nis died seven and a half years ago," I said.  "And you're not Mnemosyne."

            The woman groaned.  "I'll come back when I've figured out how to force them apart."  She walked away, through the small gates.  When were they added to the palace?  They seemed out of place, since the other gates were all much larger.

            "Force who apart?" I asked.

            "You and Yuri."

            "Who's Yuri?" I continued.  My head started hurting as images flew through my mind, an angel with blue eyes, a kitsuune with dark eyes...and another part of me named the images.  Alice.  Fox Face.  "I'm Yuri?"

            The gardener shook his head.  "Mnemosyne's right.  You do do some silly things."

            My eyelids began to droop as I opened them, breathing hard.  Sweat dripped off my body and I gasped for air.  "I see I'll have to train my new pet."

            I glared at her and saw with some satisfaction that she had drops of blood running down her ivory cheek.  She touched the cuts and then licked the red fingers.  Her cuts disappeared, and I stared at the place where the cuts had been.  Was she a vampire?  But...wasn't that Keith?

            "Why so surprised?"  She sucked the last few crimson drops.  "You're of the clan and you don't know?  We thrive on the destruction of life.  That's what Lucifer loved the most."  Green eyes glittering, she knelt next to me.  "But I'm tired of talking.  Speak."

            "Come, little tiger," Tiresias said with a laugh, "I have much to tell you."

            The gardener reached out to pet me.  I growled and bit into the soft skin presented, hitting in past the bones.  Surprised, he tried to jerk away and exclaimed when my teeth were twisted into his hand.  I released and backed away, still growling.  I wondered if he would try to kill me.  I wished he would.

            But no, he only sat and held his mangled hand, gaping at me with wide eyes.  "What is wrong?" he asked.

            I snarled, baring all my fangs before padding away.  Casually I pissed on the willow's trunk, hoping to upset him into violence.  Still he did nothing.  Why not?  No one would blame him...

            Someone shook me out of my daze.  "Hyuga.  Hyuga."  I looked at Tiresias, then down at his silver buttons covered in blood.  Had I hurt him worse, or was that my own blood?  "How do you feel?  What is happening outside?"

            I glared at him and then turned away, struggling to my feet and using the unexpected grave--who had put a grave in the garden?--for balance.  Pain shot through me and I staggered.  Tiresias tried to catch me.  Immediately I turned, hitting his hand away from me.

            The Earth class stared at me with mossy green eyes.  He seemed sad.  Why should he be?  Things were going well for him, he had been chosen as heir.

            I turned away from him, not wanting him to see anything human in me.  Because he'd only ignore it.  I wished that I was only a monster, with no emotions.

            A scream ripped itself from my mouth as I was brought back into the castle.  Spots swam in front of my eyes, and a feeble attempt to move brought only pain.

            "Don't you dare ignore me," Tsuki said.  She frowned with slim, pale lips.  "You won't talk anymore?  My, you're so boring."  She again produced a dark sphere that crackled as she held it.  She brushed her hands over me in a caressing motion, but it felt like she was plunging a sword in my chest and then dragging it down.

            "N-no…stop it," I yelled, pulling against the shackles.  Even though my struggling was useless, my scream had startled her and the spell stopped.  She stared at me with an astonished expression.  Then the woman recovered and laughed.  "So you can talk.  Do you have a name?  Or should I just keep calling you pet?"

            "Yuri Hyuga," I spat out.

            "See?  It's not that hard," she said with a smirk.  "That's an unusual name.  Do you come from the mortal world?"

            I turned my head away.  She had mocked me enough.

            "I know you understand me Hyuga."  She again chanted in a low voice, her long white fingers shaping the raw energy into a ball.

            I glanced at her and noticed how hard she was concentrating now.  She was getting exhausted, so she wasn't that powerful.  Experimentally I called on Czernoborg to see if I could outlast her, but the fusion soul refused to answer and there was no way I could force him to fuse in this condition.  Reluctantly I answered, "Yes."

            "Don't be so stubborn, Yuri Hyuga.  Well, how old are you?"

            "Twenty-five."

            Her eyebrows flew up in surprise as she exclaimed, "You are but an infant!"

            I scowled as she chuckled.  Twenty-five and only to be called a baby.  First pet, now infant, and watch the self-esteem going down the drain…

**

[Fox Face]

            I gobbled up my meat, blood dripping down my chin.  Alice across from me looked like she might be sick.

            "How can you eat that raw?" she demanded as she turned her own piece over the fire.

            "Fresh and still mooing," I said, "or whatever noise that thing was making."  The exorcist watched me as I ate.  At first I tried to eat in peace, but with Alice observing me that was impossible.  I dropped the large, bleeding piece and wiped my chin off with my foreleg.  "Something wrong?"

            "No…well…please don't be offended?" she pleaded.

            "Like I've ever been offended by anything you've said."

            She cast her eyes down and tugged on her skirt.  "Yes, but…I think you're starting to act more like a kitsuune."

            "Why d'you think that?" I demanded.

            "See, you're offended."

            I flicked my tails in irritation.  "I'm not offended.  I just want to know why you think that."  I was a bit insulted, but I wasn't about to admit it.  Distracted, I began licking my foreleg to get the blood off.

            "Well, I know you like your meat a bit red, but that was only on the fire for ten seconds."

            "I'm hungry," I said defensively.

            "I suppose that's why you're licking your leg."

            Embarrassed, I stopped and then realized what I was doing.  "I'm cleaning it off."  I started licking again, craning my neck to get a few drops of blood.

            Alice took her canteen and poured a little water over my leg, washing the blood off.  I felt disappointed but resolutely shook my leg to get all of the lukewarm water off.

            She apologized for making me upset and I insisted I was not upset.  With a smile the exorcist began scratching under my chin and I stopped arguing.

            "Not fair," I complained.  "That's my weakness."

            Alice went back to her food.  Her meat was well done and she took it off.  Without a fork or knife, she was rather shy about her eating, although she was getting used to the lack of utensils.  She ripped off a small strip as I took a much larger chunk.  We both swallowed at the same time.  My throat hurt from the huge swallow and Alice began chiding me about eating so fast, shaking her head as she did.  We might have been at her mother's house with how she was acting.

            Though I had a feeling Mrs. Elliot, kind-hearted as she was, would never allow a kitsuune in her house.

            "Two days.  Is there a lake nearby?" Alice wondered, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.  "My clothes are getting dirty."

            Ego and her had bought a few clothes in Tripura, but Alice was back in her familiar blue skirt and had been since yesterday.  Everything must be dirty then.  Or at least dirty to her; our definitions were completely different.  As I rummaged through her pack, I saw outfits that she had worn only one or two days.  Still perfectly fine to me, but women were always picking about things like that.

            At the bottom I sniffed out something clean.  "Alice, you've still got an outfit," I told her.  I poked my nose in one of the holes and brought it out.  I glanced at it and frowned, then realized it really was clothing.  "Are you going to wear this?" I asked, my tails wagging at the thought.

            "Do you really think I would?  Look at it."  Alice stood up, holding the white fabric against her body.  It was a sleeveless top.  It had a collar around the neck, followed by large buttons that ended just about the rib cage, the fabric then draping away from the stomach.  Knowing there had to be another piece to go with, I searched in the bag and dragged out a short skirt that might have gone down midway her thighs, also adorned with silver buttons.  It would cover panties at all times, but on the plus side, this was obviously made to hug those curves.

            "Why'd you get it if you're not going to wear it?" I asked.  "I think this would look good on you."

            "Your other half thought so too.  He's the one who got it."  She tapped her foot, still holding the top against herself.  She was obviously not as pleased as me.

            "Oh."  That did make more sense.  "It's clean."

            "I'm not wearing it."

            I pouted, but she was not about to be swayed.  She stuffed both top and skirt back in the bag and sat back down to her meal.

**

[Halley]

            "Alright, we're going back," Margarete said.  "There's no way we're going to find Alice this way.  Maybe she's already with Zhuzhen."

            We'd left Zhuzhen and Sharon three hours ago at the hotel we'd found and gone searching for Alice—or at least, any news about her.  We were using one of the clothed sketches from Yuri's notebooks, since we discovered that none of us could draw a decent picture if our lives depended on it.  Actually, that wasn't quite true.  Sharon had done a passable job to my amazement; her drawings were usually doodles.  She said it was God using her as an instrument.

            We'd decided that Yuri was a better artist than God though and Sharon had gotten very upset.  She was waiting with Zhuzhen right now.  Hopefully she would be calm by the time we got back.

            "Hey Keith," I said, "Now that Margarete's tired—"

            "I'm not tired," Margarete retorted.

            I shook my head.  "Come on, give it up.  Sharon's gone now."

            "So?"

            "You are trembling," Keith pointed out.

            "I'm fine," Margarete insisted.  The tremor in her movements had gotten worse, but probably would be gone if she'd just rest for the night.

            _It has to be more than acting, _the voice commented.  _Most demons would be exhausted by now, even ones in the clan._

            I shrugged mentally and turned around, neatly folding Alice's picture into quarters.  "Fine, let's go back.  It is getting late."

            I took a few steps with Margarete and Keith following me before the spy decided to stumble and fall into me.

            _Never mind, just acting,_ the voice corrected.

            Having fallen face forward with a spy on my back, I rolled over and she slid off, also rolling.  Her eyes were unfocused.  I held up three fingers and asked, "How many?"

            "Six," she answered, her sea blue eyes still unfocused.  Then she frowned.  "Why do you have two right hands?"

            _Yep, she's out of it._  I couldn't tell which of us had thought that.

            "Come on, let me heal you."

            "No!"  Margarete rolled over and pushed herself up.  Apparently she'd done it too fast; she went off-balance but managed to catch herself in time.  "See?  I can walk."

            "Well you're standing," I said, "Now take a step."

            She tried to walk forward and almost fell.  Keith caught her, turned her around, and swept her off her feet into his arms.  She made some protest, which soon died down when Keith gave no reply.  Little by little she relaxed, fussing with her hair to fix her ponytail.  The fall had gotten both of us dirty and dusty.  "Idiot."

            "Stubborn woman," Keith returned.

            Margarete's eyes shone in the moonlight.  It was hard to tell whether she was looking at Keith or the moon—there were no stars for her to watch.  Maybe she was seeing nothing; she probably had trouble focusing on anything right now.  But despite her complaints, she actually seemed quite happy.

            _Kae or Mia?  I still can't tell.  Damned twins._

_            Can you tell me about them?_ I asked.

            _…Depends.  I'll need you to do a favor for me.  I can't break the bonds right now.  I'm getting tired as it is._

_            So what do you want me to do?_

_            Go to the palace.  But don't be an idiot like Hyuga or we'll be in his situation without anyone to help us.  Make sure you stay outside the gates._

I didn't like the insult to Yuri, but then he had obviously screwed up somewhere to get himself that messed up in mind.  So he didn't want me to go inside, all I had to do was go by the gates.  It didn't sound like it could get me in trouble.

            I dropped back behind Keith, looking around.  It sounded easy…but right by the gates?  What could be there?

            "Keith."  The vampire turned to face me.  Margarete's head rolled around, her mouth hanging open.  I almost laughed at the sight, and my shadow soul wanted to laugh as well.  "I'll come to the hotel later, alright?  I might be late."

            "Where will you be?'

            "Just want to take a look at the palace.  I'll be really late; don't stay up or anything."  I turned away and walked down the street.  The dark blue sky was lit up with hundreds of city lights, but the moon still managed to bathe the whole sky in its light.  It was a milky white.

            _Don't gawk like you're an angel._

            I changed my view to see who the annoyed voice belonged to, then realized it was my shadow soul.  It was strange getting used to him, but on the other hand he felt so familiar.  "Like an angel?"

            _They love the moon.  Stare at it all the time.  Get any of the more insane ones and they'll rave about how it will one day be covered in our blood._

"Our…?"

            _Demon's blood.  Of course, anyone that isn't an angel is a demon.  Why you'd want to coat it in blood, I don't know._

            I nodded to no one and walked on against the night wind.  He seemed so nonchalant.  The moon could have been dripping blood and he wouldn't have been surprised.

            _Why not?  All God has to do is order it, and so it will be.  And there's nothing we can do about it.  In one second, from life to death…_

            His whisper died out as my neck seized up again.  I grabbed at it, trying to heal it, but the pain wouldn't go away.  I heard Yuri's barely audible whisper of, "Goodbye, friend," and then the loud snap of vertebrae, the last sound I heard before—

            I was trembling, shivering.  It wasn't the cold air.  I was afraid, with a fear even worse than when Mom had been taken away by Albert Simon.  My legs suddenly weak, I sat down, feeling all my limbs quivering.  Oh god.  I gulped the cooling air, forcing myself to calm down, even as the pain in my neck told me I had died, had died once in a past life and a friend had been the murderer.  A person I was a friend with now.

            And if we had been friends back then…what was keeping him from killing me now?

**

[Fox Face]

            I entered the Graveyard cautiously.  After weeks and months of being free, the stale air choked me.  After a moment I entered the Gates of Self, half-expecting them to slam behind me as a nine-year-old screamed at me with tears streaming down his face.

            "You do not look well," Tiresias observed.

            "I don't like this place," I answered.  "Alice'll wait two days.  Will he be done by then?"

            My other half and Hyuga were still sitting by the tree, watching me with an amused expression.  He started babbling excitedly about how the villagers had stories about a creature like me, called a kitsuune, all the while adding comments like "I didn't think you'd come Tiresias" and "I thought you'd be too busy with the clan."  "But I'm glad you did visit," he ended with a small smile.

            "I wish I had," Tiresias said, shaking his head.  To me he said, "Hard to say, but he's only ten to twelve years old."

            "How old was Hyuga when he died?" I asked.

            Tiresias's eyes rolled back as he thought.  "About forty."

            I groaned.  Even at the rate he was going, Ego would never make it in two days.  And it seemed like he was slowing down.  "God, Alice is going to kill me."

            "Right now?" Tiresias asked, looking up at the gates.  I heard them creak open and whimpered, knowing I would probably be punished for omitting Yuri's condition.

            "Keith?  Yuri!"  I turned to see Alice, looking both surprised and confused.  She cast a bewildered glance at the vampire, but after seeing him shake his head, seemed to understand.  Her face was pale as she took in Ego's ever-shifting image and his still form.  "Is he alright?" she asked me, and then addressed Ego, "Are you alright?"

            "You're a pretty angel," Hyuga remarked.

            "I'm not an angel.  But thank you."  Alice gave me a look that said clearly, 'Anything else you didn't tell me?'  I was in for it.

            "You're Sarah, aren't you?  Shouldn't you be younger?  Or do angels age faster?"

            Alice turned a shade pink, probably finding it weird to have to explain herself to Ego.  "I—"

            "Am I really that evil?" Hyuga said in a plaintive tone.  His eyes—our eyes were completely black.

            Her eyebrows now drawing together, the exorcist said, "No!  Why?"

            "Aren't you here to destroy my soul?"  His eyes melted into brown, and with parts of an old trench coat, he said, "No—Alice wouldn't…"

            "Destroy your soul?  What…does that mean?" she said, turning to both me and Tiresias.

**

**Author's Note:**  My, my…this chapter has been on paper for over a month, but it did not want to make the transition to computer.  The next chapter is also written, so I'll see how fast I can get that typed up.  Hopefully soon ^^;;.

The ending of Halley's section was spontaneously changed because I realized the original version doesn't work too well for what goes on later.  Oh well.

Sorry if you read the other version of this chapter, where I forgot to include Fox Face's last section.  Dummy me.  ^^;;

**

**Reviewers:**

**Autumn Dragon:**  Thanks for being the kick in the rear that made me finish the last half up.  Sorry I made you wait so long!

**The Setra Prince:**  Actually, I was thinking of Roger Bacon, I was only working under the misguided notion that Bacon was a Light class.  For some reason I just assumed he was.  Koudelka takes place in 1899, doesn't it?  Or else how is Halley only fifteen/fourteen???  -.-;; Um…never mind…I'll only get myself more confused.

**Jonathan rigaud:**  Not to be mean, but which graveyard scene, specifically?  There are a few that are probably more confusing than they should be (especially the one I butchered first and third person in), but some are supposed to be confusing, because the person who's seeing them is confused.  Such as this chapter, where Yuri is big-time confused.  So I need to know which scenes you're talking about first.

**Greyfriars:**  Yes!  That was the Koudelka bit.  Mnemosyne tossed Patrick into the river since he was being all second-guessing about it.  I'm not sure if I gave his name, but I gave Elaine's and the fact that he was generally being a nut about it  (you have to be a nut about a woman in order to do what he did .).  And actually, you spelled Mnemosyne correctly.

**Seriyu-the-ice-dragon:**  Oh, okay.  I liked the manga better though.  (For some reason, it's not in Shonen Jump anymore.)

**Darkness featurin' Kitty:**  Well, Alice does have to snap eventually, she has so little SP.

Hehehe…this is really, really late.  ^^;;  Please don't kill me.  ::hides behind Yuri::


	30. Fear of Loss

[Alice]

            Fox Face was absolutely clueless.  I could tell from his aura that there was nothing else he was hiding.  I was grateful for that.  Yuri seemed to be confused as badly as he had been when he dug his grave.  Maybe even worse.

            "What does he mean?" I wondered, not really expecting anyone to answer.

            "I would not worry about it," Keith told me.  At least, he looked like Keith.  But he seemed a bit different, even without considering his bloodied clothes.  "He and Hyuga have merged.  He is only confusing his memories."

            No wonder Yuri was so baffling then. I turned back to him.  He was looking at me pleadingly, parts of his trenchcoat flickering.  "Alice wouldn't…I know you wouldn't, Alice."

            I shook my head emphatically.  "No, I wouldn't."  I knelt by him, brushing his long, messy bangs away from his face.  He thought I would destroy his soul.  'Keith' had said he was mixing up his memories.  So did Hyuga expect Sarah to destroy his soul?  As Yuri relaxed, his dark brown eyes closing, I asked the question.

            His trenchcoat disappeared and his eyes flooded with amber.  Keith pulled me up to my feet, away from Yuri.  "No.  No.  Don't.  I'm not a monster.  I'm not a monster!" he screamed, and I jumped back.

            "Hyuga, stop!" Keith ordered.  Yuri was still yelling at me, glaring at me with a mix of such hatred and fear I thought I could die.  I didn't want him to look at me like that.  His shouting stopped when Keith slapped him with the back of his hand.  The hit surprised all of us and Yuri looked so hurt I could feel a wave of regret from the vampire.  "She may be Sarah, but she has changed.  She rejected God."  I opened my mouth to protest, but realized he was referring to Sarah's false god—and also that a protest might upset Yuri again.  "She does not think of you as a monster."

            "Are you sure Tiresias?"

            Tiresias nodded, his pale lips drawing back in a slight grin.  "I am sure, Hyuga."

            Hyuga was silent, his finger sketching in the dirt as he thought.  He looked up from underneath the messy bangs.  "Sorry."

            "It's alright," I said, still shaken by his vehement outburst.  "But, what did you…"  I stopped.  I didn't want to cause another explosion.

            The blond vampire quickly suggested, "Why don't you check on what Tsuki is doing?"

            "Oh…"  Hyuga nodded slowly and closed his eyes, easily settling into sleep.

            Tiresias watched him carefully.  Finally he looked at me with Keith's green eyes.  "I may have an answer for your question.  Alice, correct?"

            "Yes.  Why did Yuri think I was going to destroy his soul?  Was…was Sarah supposed to?"

            He shook his head.  "During the war, yes, but he hasn't remembered that yet.  Sarah's reputation though…"

            "Had she done it before?" I asked, horrified by the thought.  "What exactly does it do?"

            Tiresias crossed his arms and looked at me.  His eyes were hard and stern as he said, "Sarah was the destroying angel.  Her job was to destroy the souls of those who opposed God.  It's exactly what it sounds like; their soul was completely destroyed."

            "Tiresias," Fox Face growled.  "You said yourself she's changed."

            "She has," he said, pointing at me, "But then she's a completely new persona.  I heard that Sarah wants to return to God."

            "To her God," I mumbled.  Was Sarah really a murderer?  No, if Tiresias was right, she was worse: she didn't destroy the temporary body, but the eternal soul.

            "Are you sure you worship a different God?" Tiresias said, arching an eyebrow.  At Fox Face's growl, he added, "Forgive me, that was rude.  However—" The gates groaned as they slowly opened, but I waited for the rest of Tiresias's response.

            "Alice!  Thank God."

            I instantly started.  The similarity in the two vampires' voices was incredible.  Keith slowly closed the gates, keeping his hand on them so it wouldn't make too much noise.  "Alice, where are you?"

            "What?  Oh, you mean—I'm near the City of Darkness.  Just outside.  I'm with Fox Face."

            Keith's face turned blank.  "Fox Face?"

            A low growl alerted him to the disgruntled kitsuune.  "You guys are ignoring me."

            I ran my hand over his fur, soothing him.  "I thought Fox Face was a man, not a real fox.  And didn't Yuri accept him?" Keith asked.

            "Yes, but then he screwed up again," Fox Face replied.  "As you can see, he's on a streak of screwing up.  And I'm a kitsuune because your stupid dad just had to tell him we're descended from a monster."

            I rapped Fox Face on the head with my knuckles.  "Why are you being rude to Keith?"

            "Cause this is not a good day," he grumbled.  He was sulking, his seven tails drooping between his legs.  "I didn't even get a good night's sleep."

            I wondered why he hadn't; I had gotten a very good rest.  Keith looked confused but plowed on.  "We've wasted a day then.  We thought you were here, in Tripura.  We heard about Yuri fusing—"

            "Yet another case of him screwing up," Fox Face interjected.  I rapped him again and he sighed.

            "Is he always like this?"  Keith was amused by Fox Face's attitude rather than offended.

            "I'm not sure, he's usually very nice to me.  I suppose he must be jealous."

            "Am not," Fox Face protested.  "That's what Ego does.  And he gets paranoid too."

            My hand rose again but Fox Face dodged and went over to his slumbering half.  "So Tsuki's still playing with him?"  He nudged the Harmonixer, but Yuri did not respond.

            Tiresias sighed and massaged his temples.  "She leaves sometimes, but she seems to like her pet."

            "Pet?"

            "You don't know?" Keith said.  "Yuri's being kept as a pet."

            Irked that Keith knew more about Yuri's situation than I did, I glared hard at the kitsuune.  "I thought you said he was in jail."

            "He is," Fox Face insisted.  "She's part of the clan and she's keeping him in prison.  Like you'd put a bird in a cage."

            The thought of Yuri caged as someone's pet disturbed me.  I suddenly pictured him looking like—like Fox Face; and at this I felt ashamed.  Was I thinking of Fox Face differently because he looked different?  As a pet?

            I turned red as I remembered the previous night.  His warm fur and the cute whining noises he made in his sleep reminded me of Lissa, an adorable golden retriever my father had given me on my eighth birthday.  Though I doubted Fox Face would find the comparison so pleasing.  I wouldn't blame him.  I shouldn't think of him like that.  He was the same as Yuri.

            "Why is Yuri like this?" I asked.

            "Hyuga decided he wanted to join with Yuri."  Tiresias smiled wanly, looking a sickly white—but that might have been the Graveyard's flat light.  "He always was impatient, as least as an adult.  The problem is he thought he'd still be able to—well, basically, function.  He'd never done an integration before, because Mnemosyne never let him."

            "And you wonder why?"

            Mnemosyne's chains jangled as she appeared beside the tree, kneeling next to the sleeping man.  Despite her disapproving tone, she reached forward and kissed Yuri on the cheek.

            "Oh—" I exclaimed.  There was a certain way in how she lingered next to him, their faces just a breath apart, which suggested intimacy.

            The Asian woman turned her face to me.  "So, you do care about him?"

            My face was red from indignation and embarrassment and a small bit of jealousy.  "Yes."

            She nodded and, careful not to disturb him, stood, the many thin chains of silver rattling against each other.  "I locked Sarah away in Lethe.  I will not let her become one with you for a while—maybe not ever.  Are you angry?"

            I shook my head.  "No.  She's a murderer, isn't she?  She should be locked away."  I felt a bit angry with myself; wasn't I her?  Why would I do something as horrible as that?

            "Don't—don't hate her."  Mnemosyne shook her head.  "She's not that bad.  It's just that, that…she's an **angel**," she said, lacking better words.  "They're hard to deal with, hard to understand."  She suddenly smiled and turned to Keith.  "And how are you dealing with your little angel?"

            Keith sighed wearily.  "She's used a spell on Margarete.  Now Margarete's senseless and Zhuzhen's healing her.  They bicker so much."

            "That makes sense," Mnemosyne murmured.  "It's a wonder Halley doesn't argue though."

            "But she's like a little sister to him."

            The red robed woman shrugged, but I was busy puzzling it out.  Little sister?  "Is Sharon an angel?  …Did she die?"

            Keith chuckled.  "No, she's fine.  The angels merely took her apart for some time.  When she returned, she was an angel."

            "They're using her to get to Sarah," Mnemosyne said.  She frowned as her hand rested on the rough bark of the tree.  "And Sarah seems to be listening.  Now that I've locked her in Lethe, she's undoubtedly against us."

            "And who's 'us'?" I said coolly.  After all, we didn't know her, and she hadn't explained herself.  It'd be foolish to trust her, though Fox Face did…

            She faltered a bit.  "I would hope… I would hope it's all of you.  At the least I am sure of Tiresias, myself, and Hyuga."  She paused, biting her lip hard.  "I know why the others might be angry.  I never lied to them, but I didn't tell them everything—"

            "Lying by omission," I said.

            "I suppose it is," Mnemosyne said, accepting my judgment.  "But I told you too.  Or Sarah.  And when I told her, she was so happy, she agreed at once to be reborn.  She was more enthusiastic than Hyuga.  She even led him into the river."  As she spoke, her smile increased, but I felt sadness accompanying her joy.  Then the fragile gladness died and she frowned.  "But now—I suppose it's been too long.  Sarah's not so sure."

            "And what did you tell her?" I asked.

            "I might tell you," she said after a moment.  "I'm not bound."

            "No?" Keith said curiously.  "I thought you were reincarnated as well."

            Mnemosyne shook her head.  "I can't bind myself.  If I did there'd be chaos.  Some souls just…well."  She pursed her lips.  "They shouldn't be reborn until there're better psychiatrists."

            Fox Face gave a weak chuckle.  He had flopped himself down on his stomach and was now lounging on his side.  "Should've saved me for then too."

            "Are you alright?" I asked.  His lethargic behavior was unusual; even his head rested on the ground.  His eyes were glassy, looking at nothing.

            "I hate it here," he mumbled.  "I feel like I'm dying."

            "We are dying."

            "What?" Tiresias said sharply.  I turned to see Yuri's barely open eyes, pale pools.  "Are they executing you?'

            "The souls didn't want to talk.  Tsuki tried to make me.  My heart stopped," the child Hyuga rattled off.  "She said she couldn't feel my pulse."

            I knelt by Yuri, examining him.  I placed my hand on the black shirt and began casting Cure.

            "Your spells aren't going to help him.  It's his body, not his soul," Mnemosyne said.

            "What am I supposed to do then?" I demanded.  Focusing harder, I cast the healing spell again.

            "There's nothing you can do," Tiresias said.

            "There has to be something," the other vampire protested.  Keith's heavy boots pounded the grass as he thought.  "How far from the city are you, Alice?'

            "She's too far and she's not going in," Mnemosyne snapped.  "If she dies Hyuga will do something stupid."

            "I am going," I said, standing up.  I stood two or three inches above the short woman, looking down at her.

            "If you die, and Hyuga does anything to harm himself, I will make your existence hell," Mnemosyne promised, glaring at me.  Her aura grew, reminding me of someone similar—but who had an aura like this?

            "Mnemosyne," Fox Face growled.  He struggled to get to his feet, looking unsteady.  His brown fur flickered—he seemed to disappear—and he fell back on his stomach.

            I didn't know what to do.  Who could I help?  "Fox Face, you aren't dying, are you?" My voice shook as I asked the question.

            "Probably, since he is," he answered.  He made a faint smirk that faded with the rest of his body.  "Wouldn't that be ironic…"

            "Tsuki left," Hyuga said.  "Everything's turning black."  Loss of blood was making him lose consciousness.  Soon after that happened, he would die.

            Tiresias turned away, his face ashen.  "Gods…" he murmured, a plea.  Mnemosyne turned to leave, causing me to shout out if she would just let him die.

            "I can't do anything.  I don't care to watch this again," she replied without looking back.  "I'll be waiting at Lethe."

            "He's not coming!" I said angrily.  My only answer was the gates, slowly swinging shut.

            "Can't you fuse?" Keith asked.  "If you do not—"

            "I can't use magic," he answered.  He sounded exhausted.

            "Just try, you goddamn idiot!" Fox Face shouted.  "If you die and I do too, then Alice…Alice's going to be by herself…" He faded out again, only reappearing five seconds later.  "She'll be in danger."

            "Sorry Fox Face," Hyuga said.  The kitsuune faded again.  This time he did not reappear.  "Sorry Sarah."

            His eyelids slid down as though he was sleeping.  Sleeping or dead?

            "The graft's not reappearing," Tiresias noted.  "He's probably dead then."

            Yuri was dead?  I stared at where Fox Face had been, willing him to come back.  I felt Keith's hand as he knelt next to me.  "Alice, find somewhere where you can hide.  We'll come for you.  All right?"

            His voice was extremely kind and soft, as though he was comforting someone grieving.  But I wasn't grieving, because Yuri couldn't be dead.  "Fox Face…this isn't funny," I whispered, covering my eyes.  "Stop hiding from me."

            "Alice…"

            I shook my head.  Yuri couldn't be dead.  Fox Face had just woken up.  That was all.  They'd both woken up.  Maybe it was a prank.  They could be so immature…

            My body shot forward out of Keith's grasp as my eyes opened.  In the twilight, I searched for Fox Face's form and found it.  He was still.  "Fox Face, wake up," I whispered, shaking him lightly.  He didn't wake up and I shook him harder, calling him louder.  Still he didn't respond.

            "**Resurrection**," I whispered, but the spell did nothing.  He couldn't be alive if Yuri was dead.  He wasn't alive.  Yuri wasn't alive either.

            I still tried to wake him, but gradually I broke down.  I sobbed, burying my face in his cold silky fur.  "Wake up, dummy.  Idiot.  I told you I should go save Yuri…he was in more danger than me—"

            I stopped mid-sentence and listened.  He hadn't been breathing before, I knew he hadn't, but now…  "Fox Face.  Fox Face."

            His breathing grew stronger, more regular.  Had my magic worked?  No, it couldn't be that.  But what did it matter, so long as he was alive?

            Fox Face roused out of his slumber, yawning.  "Alice?  Why'd you leave the Graveyard?…Were you crying?"

            I nodded, fearing my voice would break if I tried speaking.

            Fox Face comforted me as a kitsuune could, rubbing his warm head against my cheeks to dry all the tears.  "Tsuki got an Earth class to heal Ego's heart.  He's still a bit weak, but he's fine."

            So it hadn't been my magic.  I'd only gotten lucky.  It'd been a miracle.

            "I can't believe you thought I was dead," he muttered.  "Don't you remember?  I'm harder to kill than a cockroach."

            I burst out in laughter as tears sprang fresh to my eyes, frightening Fox Face.

            "Now what's wrong?"

            "Nothing—I'm just happy," I said, slinging my arms around his neck and hugging him.  "I'm so glad you're alright."

**

[Zhuzhen]

            "Margarete, Zhuzhen, wake up."

            Keith gently shook me, making my eyes open.  The sun, low in the window, blinded me.  "What are you doing up so early?" I asked, rubbing away the sleep.

            "We need to go to the City of Darkness right now."

            "What about Alice?" Margarete protested.  She was wrapped up in her blankets, kicking feebly to get out.

            "She's there.  At least, nearby," the vampire told us.  He stood up, scanning the room.  "Where's Halley?"

            "Eh?" I sat up.  "He still out?"

            Keith took his pocket watch out, the gold blinding me with the rising sun's light.  I groaned and ducked back under the covers.  "It's half-past five.  He's been out the entire night."

            "Ah, he's alright," Margarete said.  "If he wasn't we would have had an earthquake."

            "But we must go now."

            "What?  I thought we had a while…until that Nemesis guy came back.  Just an hour."

            "Don't go back to sleep!"  Keith yanked all the covers from Margarete's bed, exposing the spy's short shirt and blue panties.  Margarete curled up into a ball.  "Margarete, please."

            "Why's it such an emergency?" she murmured.  "Just a few more minutes."

            "His captor almost killed him.  She made his heart stop."

            Both Margarete and I sat up.  Margarete inadvertently woke Sharon with her movements, and the sleepy child yawned.  "What's going on?  Halley?"

            "We're going to look for him right now," Margarete said.  The spy climbed out of bed and pulled a longer skirt on.  The navy blue fabric hit her knees and she took only a few seconds of raking her hair before declaring that her rumpled appearance was as good as it was would get.

            After a few minutes we were ready to go.  "Where's the last place you saw him?" Sharon asked Keith.  Her face looked a little pale…she seemed anxious.

            "He said he was going to the palace.  We'll check there first."

            "Can we hurry?" Sharon pleaded, tugging on the vampire's sleeve.

            "Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine," I said.

            Sharon's face grew dark and troubled though.  She shook her head and walked out with both Margarete and Keith following her.  She obviously didn't think he was.

**

**Author's Note:**  Kind of short chapter, but you get the picture.

**

**Reviewers:**

**MikoNoNyte:**  Sharon doesn't really mean to be like that, though she has a hard time avoiding it.

I'll admit that Persephone/Lilia is based a small part on me—and I've never dyed my hair, much less even considered dying it an unnatural color like green.  I just do not like the idea.

The game also shows Tigerion, and then Raging Tiger.  I'm pretty sure Lobos appears at least once as the name, and Lobos sounds better to me than Lobo.

Oh, it's not rhetorical, we'll be going more into Hyuga's lovely life experiences, especially the ones involving Tiresias.

Well, Keith is communicating with his SS in the Graveyard; Alice has seen and talked to hers in her own graveyard.  So has Zhuzhen, so everyone's come into contact with their shadow soul at least once.

**Majin Yuffie:**  Here you go!

**The Setra Prince:**  Hey, I resent that!  My story is not as confusing as Xenogears!  :p  That might be ch. 12 or thereabouts that you're talking about—the answer is they represent both Yuri's past incarnations, and the possibility for more, which is infinite.

**Greyfriars:**  I was just getting a kick out of seeing Alice draping Fox Face over her shoulders—bad, very bad.  ^^

**Kitty:**  Here's the update!

**Autumn Dragon:**  Yeah, Sharon is being stuck up.  But she's got a good reason for it, I swear.


	31. When the Mask Slips

**Disclaimer:**  No, of course I do not own Shadow Hearts.  Except I finally have a copy of the game again (thank you Kim!!!  ^^)

**

[Keith]

            It was rather unusual.  For a street urchin, Halley was remarkably reliable, because he was used to others depending on him.  He had said he was staying out late…but had he really meant that to mean the whole night?  I did not think so, he would have said morning if that were the case.  But as Margarete had pointed out, he could contact us immediately in an emergency.

            Either he had been incapacitated so quickly that he could not contact us, or he had become as absent-minded as my brother.  Neither possibility was particularly pleasing, but I hoped for his sake it was the latter.

            "Maybe he just fell asleep near the palace," Margarete suggested.

            We circled the palace, but the aurora light did not reveal Halley.  I swore, wondering where he could have gone off to.  As I stewed, Margarete set to work smoothing out her appearance.  I considered if a bat might not have better luck from an aerial view.  Probably not; I had noticed a large part of the population was blonde, and what if Halley had gone indoors?

            Margarete gave her hair one last rake before approaching a pair of guards.  Unlike most of the inhabitants, they were actually fully clothed and would get roasted when the noon sun came.  She had pulled her hair into a high ponytail, giving her the impression of someone younger—although if they had looked closely, they would have seen she was around thirty.  "Excuse me sir, have you seen my little brother?  He's got the same hair and eyes as me, and he's just a bit shorter," Margarete said as she gestured with her hand.  "He said he was going to see the palace."

            The first guard shook his head, but the second considered.  "I saw someone like that, but he was an Air class."

            "Yes!  That's my brother's class," Margarete said encouragingly.  I wondered why the devil she had to make things so complicated instead of just giving them a detailed description of Halley.  But it seemed to be working, so I kept quiet and watched with Zhuzhen.  "Do you know where he went?"

            "He was asking someone directions for a bar.  I don't know which one though."

            I sighed.  That had to be another person.  Why would Halley go to a bar?  The one time he'd gotten drunk had been his last; Halley was the type to have a temper when he was drunk.  It wouldn't have been a problem except for his ESP, and an also drunk Yuri's insistence on provoking him.

            "Alright, time for the bar," Margarete announced when she returned.

            "I doubt it's him.  He knows well enough what happens when he's drunk," I said wearily.

            "Yeah, and he knows well enough not to be a moron and wander off in a strange world.  I say anything's possible right now."  She had gotten directions from the guards to a nearby bar, and so she led us to it.  Sellers were beginning to set up shop in the marketplace.  I had no doubt it'd be crowded within the hour.

            "Seems a little early to be drinking," Zhuzhen noted.  The bar had a surprising number of patrons for such an early time.  Most of the men were in a corner, surrounding someone.  When I heard Halley's boisterous voice, I swore and made my way through.  I felt ready to yell at him if he was drunk, regardless of the possible consequences.  "Halley!"

            When he came into view, he was sitting across from a burly, red-headed man.  There was a stack of coins in his lap and I realized he'd been gambling.  Halley looked up, his blue eyes glinting in the poor light of the bar.  "Something wrong?" he asked coolly.  He was sober.

            "Get up, we don't have any time."

            "Halley!"  Using her small frame to her advantage, Sharon slipped through the crowd and threw her arms around Halley's neck.  Halley smiled, scooping his coins up with one hand and picking Sharon up with the other.

            "Alright, I'll clean you drunkards out later," he said.  This was met with a round of raucous cheers that did little to help my headache.  I swore I'd never wake up this early again.

            We went to a quieter spot, in an alley behind the bar.  Halley was lingering, making me pace angrily.  We had to go now; Alice had made it clear she would not wait an hour longer.  Defeated, Tiresias, Fox Face and I had been helping her plan a way to get in the City of Darkness without getting killed until Mnemosyne had returned.

            I remembered that moment well.  Fox Face and I had both edged away, not wanting to be in the way if Alice decided a Blessed Light in order; Mnemosyne had gazed at the barely conscious mix of Yuri and Hyuga as Tiresias informed her he was still alive.

            Before the woman could make any sort of reply, Alice had leaned over to Yuri and kissed his cheek, just as Mnemosyne had.  "And do you care about him?" she had asked quietly.

            "Touché, angel," Mnemosyne had said as she hung her head.

**

[Fox Face]

            We were still planning a way for Alice to get in.  Alice's Light aura immediately made sneaking in impossible, which was the biggest problem.

            "Everyone's going to assume she's an angel," Mnemosyne explained.  "We have to take advantage of that."

            "In a city that hates angels?" I said.

            Mnemosyne was helping us plan Ego's rescue now.  After Alice's comeback to her, she was contrite, except when someone made a bad suggestion.  I was usually the one whose ideas got shot down.  Strategy was never a big deal for me, but right now it was important.

            "You said the war is not quite over?" Alice said thoughtfully.

            "Well, the Darkness clan has never rejoined God, so there's some tension."

            "Does the Light clan ever make treaties?"

            Mnemosyne stared at Alice.  "They have, actually.  To keep the fighting from getting too bad.  For some reason they don't like using their godly powers too much."

            "There're no Light classes in the city right now," Alice said.  "I could go in—say I'm an angel from the clan—"

            "Don't say that," Tiresias cut in.  "The angels aren't a clan, they're more of God's army."

            "Then what should I say I am?"

            The Asian woman had a definite smile as she suggested, "Say you're the destroying angel, Sarah."

            Alice looked at Mnemosyne strangely.  She laced her fingers together, pursing her lips.  "But she's dead."

            "No one's seen the body.  The Darkness clan knows the angels might hide secrets to take them by surprise.  You can carry it off; you have her looks, you have her **soul**."

            Now Alice looked very uncomfortable.  "But won't people talk about an angel coming back from the dead?  What if the angels hear?"

            "They'd hear about an unknown angel presenting herself as a negotiator too."  Mnemosyne grinned in spite of the serious situation.  "Besides, it's the best insurance for your protection.  No demon would be stupid enough to pick a fight with Sarah.  To afraid of that Final Judgment spell."

            "I don't have it—"

            "Bluff your way.  They're not going to doubt you."  Seeing Alice's indecision, Mnemosyne's black almond eyes narrowed.  "What's wrong?  You came up with the treaty idea.  I'm just telling you it'd be safer to say you're Sarah than some unknown angel."

            "I don't want to pass myself off as the destroyer of souls."

            "But you wouldn't actually be doing it," I said.  I nosed my way under her hand and peeked up at her.  She had a pensive expression, but she slowly came out of it to scratch my head.  Maybe having Alice think of me as a dog wasn't so bad; she was still just as nice to me, and now she petted me and let me rest my head on her thigh.  And what a shapely thigh it was.  "Why worry?"

            Her nails raked through my fur and she sighed.  "I guess I just don't like her.  But now's not the time to be picky.  I'll do that."

            "There's still a problem," Tiresias said.  Like Keith, he tended to stay out of conversation when he wasn't involved, but he never stopped listening.  "They won't attack her, but I remember they poisoned one once."

            "I remember that," Ego said.  "He was screaming and spitting up blood."  He smirked.  "Stupid angel."

            I felt the breath Alice drew in.  Ego was more Hyuga right now, but I hadn't heard that cold tone from him either.  "What's with you?"

            He looked at me and Alice with half-lidded eyes.  "I didn't know angels liked bestiality."

            Alice's leg tensed underneath me.  The comment had made her uncomfortable and I cursed, standing up.  "Bastard," I muttered.  His lazy smirk grew wider.

            "I'm never seen him like this," Tiresias said, concerned.

            Mnemosyne waved her hand dismissively.  "It's the lovely young adult stage, emulating Asher."

            "Ah," Tiresias said, "Of course."  There was a heavy tone of displeasure in his voice, which made my ears perk up.  It was rare for Keith to hate someone.  Who was Asher…?

            "Anyway, about the poison," Mnemosyne said, "You're lucky Alice, because you have the perfect bodyguard.  He can die over and over and over again."

            I groaned, knowing it was true.  "I'm taste tester?"

            "Yep.  Feed him a few bites of everything on your plate, and wait a few minutes before you start eating.  If he suddenly keels over, cast Wish on yourself and then run like a devil's after you.  Because there will be a few," she said, almost laughing.

            Alice's eyes were wide.  "What about Fox Face?"

            "Don't worry.  All he needs is some of your magic and he can re-create his body."

            It was true.  Before I'd needed both her magic and malice so I could chase after Yuri no matter how many times he seemed to 'kill' me.  Now I only needed her magic.  "Just don't kill me too much, y'know, I feel it.  And it does not feel too pleasant."

            "Mnemosyne."

            "What?"  She turned to Tiresias, who was starting to grip his blond hair in annoyance.

            "Alice is supposed to pretend to be an angel who's been dead for two millennia?"

            "So?"

            "And be accompanied by a Dark-classed kitsuune to the dinner table?"

            "Well—"

            "And she probably won't even be dressed in the typical angel's garments?"

            "Tiresias, you come up with a better plan.  Or, even better, talk Alice out of going."

            Tiresias looked up with hopeful green eyes, but Alice's stony expression showed she was not about to be swayed.  He sighed and massaged his temples.  "You women…"

            "Lamia would smack you for that tone."

            "Mia would come up with a better plan."

            Mnemosyne shrugged.  "Is it my fault I'm not as devious as her?"

            "You should not insult her," Tiresias snapped.

            "Insult her?" the robed woman laughed.  "From what I've seen, she's proud of being devious.  Why else would she call herself 'Lamia'?  Now, he is right about the clothes thing.  You'll have to look your best," she said more seriously.

            "Um…all my clothes are dirty," Alice said.  My ears perked up at this.

            "You've got one clean outfit," I said gleefully.

**

[Keith]

            "What?" I said incredulously.

            Halley folded his arms.  "I said I don't feel like going."

            My teeth grit together as I ground out, "Perhaps you didn't understand.  Yuri almost died last night, Alice is going to try to enter a city where Light classes are despised so she can save him.  Perhaps you didn't realize that they could both die at any moment!"

            "So if we could please go—" Zhuzhen said, his voice holding the same exasperation as mine.

            "Then go."

            I stared at the teenager, my temper rising.  I did not often lose my patience, but Halley's defiant stance irked me.  He stared at me with a sullen expression.  I was the only one being glared at, and so I shifted from one side to the other, wondering what the devil he was thinking anyway.

            "Halley," Sharon said, "What's wrong?"

            "Yeah, I'm wondering about that too," Margarete said.  "Because we're going whether you come or not.  You want to be stuck here?"

            Halley cocked his head as if wondering, then whispered to Sharon, whom he had been holding the entire time.  Her eyes became more and more distant as he spoke; when she nodded, it was slowly, in the manner of one half asleep.

            "Sharon's coming with me," he said.

            "How does that solve—"  I stopped speaking when I realized Halley had control over every element, which meant he only needed Sharon to return to our world.  And that if he did, Margarete, Zhuzhen, and I would all be trapped in this world until we found Alice or Yuri—if we did find them.  "You--!"

            "Halley, why don't you just tell us what's wrong?" Margarete said calmly, trying to be the voice of reason.  "Why don't you want to go to the City of Darkness?"

            "I don't want anything to do with that beast."

            Margarete's eyes narrowed and she walked towards Halley.  "Alright kid, you're acting really weird now.  Where did you go last—"

            She was cut off as a gale of wind hit her in the stomach.  Halley had cast a spell, and in the narrow confines of the alleyway, it hit all three of us.  Zhuzhen managed to guard himself somewhat, but Margarete and I were unfortunate enough to hit the far wall.  As soon as the spell had begun its damage, Halley and Sharon had fled.

            Margarete was on the ground, curled into a ball.  Her blonde hair was strewn over her face, hiding her expression, but I could hear her heaving gasps and knew the spell had knocked the wind out of her.  I knelt and carefully helped her back on her feet as Zhuzhen began casting a healing spell.

            "Okay.  I say we hunt him down and kill him," Margarete ground out.  Her cheeks were flushed with both pain and anger, a hint of tears in her eyes.

            "Well, I don't think we should go that far," Zhuzhen said, "But we do need to stop them.  And knock some sense into Halley."  He tapped his staff thoughtfully as he walked out of the alley.  With the innocent-looking weapon he indicated a direction before taking off.  Margarete and I followed him, quickly overtaking the elderly Adept.

            Margarete fell behind me, still recovering from her sudden loss of breath.  I moved faster as I saw Sharon's head of brown hair amongst the various cloths.  Halley was being slowed by the girl's small legs, and it was clear he was impatient.  He knocked into a redhead's shoulder, making the girl spin around as he yelled out a hasty 'Sorry!'.

            "Halley!" I yelled.  "Goddamn it, Halley, stop!"

            A tall, blond man standing by the redhead turned to me as  I shouted.  For an instant, I thought I was seeing things.  The redhead had brown hair, the blond black, and another near them seemed to have hair that changed color whenever he moved.  Then I was seeing nothing.

            I stopped immediately, having experienced this affliction before.  Someone had just blinded me using magic.  I couldn't heal myself without causing another harm, and so I called out, "Margarete!  I need your assistance!"

            "I'll have to do," Zhuzhen said wryly.  "Margarete's already ahead."  He healed my eyes and we resumed our chase after Halley, determined to know what had changed the psychic's mind.

**

            For Persephone, the chase had begun after a boy had knocked into her shoulder, spinning her around.  The pain and annoyance did not keep her from noticing who he was.  It was the same boy she'd fought against, and now he was alone except for a little girl…the same girl she had met that day.  _They're related?_

            "Syth, that's him!" she said, looking up at the unnatural brunet.  "Got the bracelet?"

            "Halley!  Goddamn it, Halley, stop!"

            The boy looked behind him and Persephone realized he was being chased by…another of Hyuga's friends.  _What an odd bunch._

            Kain stopped the pursuer, a large, pale blond, with a simple blind spell, though it meant he was forced to drop their illusions for a few seconds.  Then the three of them began their own pursuit of Halley, for entirely different reasons but a similar goal: so they could find Hyuga.

**

[Fox Face]

            "You're not looking, are you?"

            I whimpered on the other side of the bushes.  "Can't I?"

            "No, you may not!  You're looking, aren't you?"

            "I'm looking away, looking away," I muttered.  The splashing sounds continued on the other side, reminding me of how much I was missing.  Alice was bathing, and only bushes kept me from a full vision of all her natural beauty.  I whimpered again and lowered my head to my forelegs.  This was not fair.

            After a few more splashes, Alice sighed.  "Ah, that feels good."  My ears perked up but I kept my eyes forward, on our bags.  There were more splashes, and she started giggling, as if she knew how much torture she was putting me through.  Exasperated, I buried my head beneath my forelegs and sighed.  "Alright, I'm coming out to dry off!  Don't you dare peek!"

            This was a bit tempting.  I knew if I turned around I'd see everything.  I also knew that if I turned around that would be the last thing I'd see.  So I decided to be obedient.

            About five minutes later, I heard rustling sounds as her new outfit was lifted from the bush branches.  I grinned and waited for her to get dressed.

            "Odd…"

            "What's odd?"

            "It actually fits, though it's a little snug."  I grinned, knowing the snugness had been on purpose.  Ego had done a good job.  "I'm afraid to ask how Yuri knows clothing so well."

            "One of the odd jobs.  Selling women's clothing."

            "I see…"

            "He kept that one for a while 'cause he was good at flattering the ladies."

            "Really," Alice said dryly.  "Alright, I'm dressed.  I'm coming out now."

            I turned around, but above the tall vegetation all I could see was the top of her head.  Alice walked to the left and came around the large bushes.  My jaw fell slightly open.

            She was still barefoot and wasn't wearing those bothersome stockings.  I could see what she meant by snug: the white skirt was wrapped around her hips tightly.

            As I had predicted, the top came down to her rib cage before opening and draping away from her body.  The top was also a little snug around her chest.

            Her face was red with embarrassment.  "I feel…indecent."

            "You look sexy."

            She frowned.  "Now I know I'm indecent."

            "That's mean.  Just 'cause I like something, it's automatically bad?"

            "Not bad.  But…it's never been a good sign."

            My tails wagged.  "Too bad.  You have to do it anyway."

            Alice sighed, shaking her head of white-blonde hair.  "I know.  Let me get some shoes on."

            She chose white shoes, like sandals, to go with the outfit.  I proclaimed my approval with a bit too much excitement and she swatted me on the snout before walking off.

**

[Keith]

            Hours later, I was questioning the wisdom of our pursuit.  So far we had not managed to catch Halley or Sharon, but instead alerted the entire city to us when a brief scuffle had escalated in a tornado of fire—a good reason to not mix Zhuzhen and Halley's magicks.  Alice and Yuri were both in danger, and it would take long enough to reach them without chasing a stubborn psychic across a large city.

            "It's not like he'll have any trouble getting out," I said.  "He's not in any danger."  And we would only be trapped if both Yuri and Alice died.  Neither—neither could.

            "You sure?" Margarete asked.  "Cause he's really acting weird.  I think we should at least find out why."

            Grudgingly I nodded and turned to Zhuzhen.  "Have you sensed him yet?"  We could not stay in one place for very long, unless we wanted the guards to be after us again…

            He shook his head.  From his seated position, with his staff laid down in front of him, he looked up at the sky.  "I've got those three though."

            "Those Regina people?" Margarete asked.  She seemed interested as she pursed her lips thoughtfully.  "They might be following Halley still.  Worth a shot.  Speaking of shots…"

            "I know you want to, but don't," Zhuzhen said sternly.

            "Heh, not bullets."  She brought out from her jacket a device like a gun, smaller and shaped a bit differently.  "I wanna test this baby out.  It's a tranquilizer gun."

            Zhuzhen nodded his approval.  "Alright.  Let's go, those three are moving away now."

            We were aware of the second group chasing Halley, consisting of two men and a girl.  We knew from our experience in the Nemeton ruins that the two men were working for Regina, and Halley had told us earlier that the girl from the ruins was the summoner Persephone.

            "Let's catch them then."

**

[Fox Face]

            My tails were wagging merily as I observed Alice's backside, swaying with every step she took.  No ruffles to hide the movement, I could see everything, moving back and forth and back and forth…

            But then there was the City of Darkness, reminding me of the dangerous situation Alice was putting herself into to save my other half.  It made me both worried and jealous, worried that we'd all die anyway and just a bit jealous of Ego.  But I knew Alice loved us both.  Besides, if we did die, I could torture him with the fact that I had gotten to see Alice in this lovely outfit and he hadn't.

            "Fox Face?"

            "Huh?"

            "I just sensed someone having thoughts that are simultaneously lewd, malicious, and morbid."  She turned her head to look at me suspiciously.  I grinned.

            "I'm multi-tasking."

            "Stop it."

            "You want me to stick with just one?"

            Alice stopped to turn completely to me.  At first she was glaring at me, but then she raised an eyebrow.  "Stick with the lewd thoughts, you're usually having them anyways."

            "Oh, that hurts," I whimpered, letting my tails droop.  She shook her head.

            "Does it really?"

            "Well, in the fact that it's true.  But it's not my fault you're—"  My comment, which would have probably earned me a kick, was cut off when I saw the huge gates in the city's wall opening.  Out filed twenty guards in pairs, one guard with a bow and arrow and one with a spear.  They lined up in front of the gate, clearly not intending to let us pass.  My heart sank, if **this** was the welcoming committee…

            Alice stepped forward.  Her fists were clenched as she tried not to show her fear, but her voice came out strong and clear.  "I am one of the angels of God, here to reconcile with the Darkness clan.  My name is Sarah."

            She surprised me by bowing to the guards, her aura rising as she did.  She was deliberately unmasking her aura, trying to impress them with her strength.  And it seemed to be working; I could smell the guard's onset of fear.  As weird as the part seemed, Alice made an intimidating, yet polite, angel of death.

            "I request an audience with the clan."    

            The captain, who had a gold design on his suit to distinguish him, made a gesture to the others.  Immediately they lowered their weapons and parted in the middle.  The captain walked up to us and inquired respectfully, "You're here to negotiate a treaty?"

            "Yes."

            The man glanced down at me with a puzzled expression.  "And this?"

            "This is my bodyguard, Fox Face," she explained.  I liked that job.  Bodyguard.  That was me, guarding Alice's body.  I stayed close to Alice as we entered the City of Darkness, making sure that anyone who thought of attacking her would think twice when they saw me.

**

            Persephone dashed towards the blond boy as he came into sight again.  The little girl had been scooped up into his arms a while ago, and her small face was pale.  Persephone wondered why, if she was so frightened, she did not summon any creatures to her aid.

            "They're catching up to him," Kain said.  Glancing over his shoulder, he could see the large blond Earth class—which meant the others were nearby.

            "Then delay them," Persephone ordered.  The boy turned left, disappearing into an alley.  She ran into the alley and then looked around, confused.  The boy had vanished.  Carrying a small girl, he couldn't have run that fast.

            A movement caught her eyes and the startled summoner turned to see the boy on the roof.  He must have used magic to get up that fast, there was no way he could have climbed up.  Well, if he was using magic, so would she.

            She turned to face Syth and Kain and motioned for both to get out of the way.  Kain immediately began protesting, but it was too late; Persephone had summoned a large bird, startling everyone in the street and probably alerting the guards to where they were again.  He hated when Persephone was like this, she acted as hastily as Regina did.  If she kept this up, she'd probably get someone killed—probably herself.

**

[Keith]

            "Rats on the rooftops," Margarete reported and pointed; where her finger stabbed I could see two forms kneeling on a roof.

            "Now all we have to do is find a way up," Zhuzhen said.

            The spy grinned.  "Let's make a ladder."

            "What?" I asked.

            A screech and dozens of yells were heard as a bird rose above the marketplace.  On top of it was the brunet and redhead, meaning—

            "They've left their illusionist on the ground," I said.

            "Alright then, bottom on the ladder goes after him," Margarete said.  She surveyed us and then pointed at me.  "You're bottom."

            "I still don't understand," I protested.

            A minute later, I understood and was facing a brick wall as Margarete gracefully climbed onto my shoulders.  Zhuzhen's ascension was a bit more awkward, as his staff repeatedly hit me in the back, but soon he was on top of both Margarete and me.  He climbed onto the rooftop and then turned to help Margarete up.  I accidentally looked up too soon and caught a glimpse of pink polka dots.  I quickly looked back down.  "Sorry, Margarete."

            "What?" she asked.  "Oh, you took a peek at my panties, didn't you?"  Her tone was as teasing as always.  "Don't worry Keith, the first look is free.  You want a second though, and I'll have to charge you."

            I felt that was a good enough invitation to say something.  I opened my mouth but couldn't find any words until—

            "You'll have to tell me the price later," I said suddenly.

            Margarete turned crimson.  Apparently she hadn't expected that response from me.  I hadn't quite expected that either.  I must have been around Yuri too much.

            "Um, right…see you in a bit," she said before taking off after Zhuzhen.

            I sighed, shifting the burden of our supplies on my shoulders.  That had been a rather poor way of admitting my interest.  Still, I had been determined to say something ever since Aquila Rose—and she hadn't let me say it before, so why not now?   _I'll think about it later—when she brings my idiocy up._

            Instead I set off in search of the illusionist, going by where the bird had taken off from.  I used my vampire magic to turn invisible.  That should throw the illusionist off.

            The thin blond was sitting in an alleyway, his lithe form prostrate among the refuse scattered around.  He was still save for breath, his eyes fixed on the sky.  I followed the gaze to empty air, but then realized the huge tawny bird was nowhere to be seen.  He was trying to hide it from view.  Well, since Margarete and Zhuzhen were after Halley and Sharon, they should be fine.

            This was poor form to simply sneak like a snake around him.  It had no honor at all in it.  Having him close enough that he could not escape, I appeared in front of him.

            The blond started, changing again to the raven-haired man with skin as pale as my father's.  It was then I learned that Water classes, in general, do not fight fair.

            The illusionist seemed to disappear, though I knew he could not have.  I heard Margarete call my name and turned around, seeing her and Zhuzhen with a contrite Halley in tow.  I laughed.  I did not expect Halley to be at all sorry when he was caught; he had not seemed at all regretful for attacking Margarete, after all.  The Mind's Eye bandanna was wrapped around my eyes; if I couldn't use my eyes, I might as well use the accessory.  With some concentration, I picked out the Water class aura and headed after it.

**

[Fox Face]

            I whined quietly to myself, watching Alice's shins anxiously.  She was keeping her legs crossed, probably aware that I would try peeking if she didn't.

            Fifteen minutes ago I had gotten a nibble of Alice's food.  I hadn't died yet, and I was feeling a bit hungrier now.  The meat had been really good, a little bit rare and tender with rich, thick gravy.  I nuzzled Alice's hand before gazing up at her.  "More?"

            She was talking to one of the clan's members, trying her best to sound like an angel based on what Mnemosyne and Tiresias had told her.  She pushed me down with her hand.  I sighed and nosed along the table, but damn table manners, no one had dropped any food yet.  I slunk back to Alice.  "Please?"

            She glanced down, her blue eyes frowning.  "You're slobbering."

            "I'm hungry," I whined.

            Alice sighed and passed me a hunk of bread that had been lathered generously with gravy.  I gratefully took it and devoured it, savoring every drop of gravy.  This was the good stuff.

            "Can you explain your…bodyguard?"  This question came from a skirt of green fabric.  The limited light reflected off of the shimmering fabric as her legs swung slightly back and forth.

            "He, ah…he is a soul trying to repent and return to God."  Alice's voice was slightly uncertain as she lied.  "This is how he repents of his sins, by serving underneath me."

            "Hmph, sounds like a light sentence."  A boot was tapping on the floor.  His scratchy voice kept asking Alice questions, so annoyingly persistent I considered removing the tapping boot and the foot that was in it.  But that would be causing trouble.  I hated being under the table: too many opportunities to put some people in their places, no way to dodge the consequences.  "It seems like something Remiel would do, not Zerachiel."

            Remiel and Zerachiel were the two archangels in charge of sinners, Tiresias had told us.  Remiel offered mercy, and for those who didn't take it…there was Zerachiel.

            "Yes, it was Remiel's idea."

            "Then he has returned?"  This honeyed voice belonged to a real sweetie, with the nicest pair of legs I'd seen on a woman and suggestive red panties underneath her black skirt.  Unfortunately, she was on the other side of the table and Alice wanted me to stay right next to her.  So I'd stay out of trouble.  I had a sneaky feeling Alcie had noticed the skirt earlier.

            "Of course."

            "Two millennia after his Absolution?"  Black boots again.  I snarled and approached him before Alice grabbed one of my tails.  I whimpered as she tugged lightly.  Didn't she understand that tails were very sensitive?  She probably did.  Goddamn, now I'd have to watch out for that.

            "What," she answered, giving one last tug to make me sit, "gave you that idea?"

            "The fact that every angel has said that for two thousand years."

            Shit.  Mnemosyne and Tiresias hadn't told us about anything happening to that angel.  It must have happened after Tiresias bit the dust.

            "The times are changing," Alice said finally, mysteriously.

            The man laughed.  "Yes, all these people returning from the last Great War.  You, Sarah, and Remiel—even Hyuga is haunting us through his descendent.  He said he was from the mortal world, Tsuki?"

            "Yes, but I think he's just as insane as Hyuga was.  He won't do anything but change into monsters.  It gets boring after a while."  This came from the shimmering green skirt.  I growled, realizing this was the woman who'd nearly killed both Ego **and** me.  Alice rapped me on the head to shut me up.

            "Nemesis will decide what to do with him.  And we will wait until Nemesis comes before discussing any treaties, Sarah."  This was a firm, but respectful, response to Alice.  It really seemed like they wouldn't do anything to us; their respect for a soul-destroying angel was genuine at least.

            "That is fine," Alice answered.  I hoped only I could hear the relief in her voice.

            The conversation turned to a different subject, but finally they rose from their chairs.  I came out from underneath the table, giving a death glare to the single blond at the table, who wore heavy black boots.  The angel, both pretend and real, motioned for me to follow as a servant appeared.  He led us through the candle-lit hallways to a room.  "This is where you'll be staying."

            It was a lot better than any hotel room we'd been in.  The dark gray stone was a bit depressing, but it was well lit with plenty of candles and there was a really comfy bed.  Wait, it was only one bed.  That meant I'd be sleeping on the stone floor.  It was already freezing my paws off.

            The door closed behind me and Alice sighed.  "Do you think they believed me?"

            "It seemed like it," I said.  "Something wrong?"

            Her hands were wringing each other.  "No, I don't sense anything wrong about this room."

            "Are you nervous?"

            "No.  Yes.  A bit."  She sat on the bed, tugging at her sandals.

            "About?"

            "They believed me."

            Women never failed to stump me.  I sat down and cocked my head at her.  "Now, just why are you worried that they believed you and didn't try to shish-kabob us?"

            "I'm glad that they did, but I'm worried about why."  She laid back on the bed.  "I look like Sarah, but I must act like her too.  So…do I…think like her?"

            I was silent.  What on earth was she even talking about?  What did it matter how she thought?  "Alice?"

            "Yes?"

            "I'm not Halley.  So just tell me why it's bad before my head explodes."

            She laughed.  "I'm not sure.  I just don't like her.  Is that a bath?"  Her eyes were directed behind me and I looked.  There was some sort of bathtub.  It had a drain, but there were no faucets.  I nosed around before I found a scroll.  There were a few of them, just lying around.

            "Water scrolls," Alice said, picking one up.  "I suppose that's the simplest way in this world."  She glanced down at me.  "Hop in."

            "Nuh uh."

            "Before I make you."

            I chuckled.  "Oh yeah, if you think you can hold a kitsuune in a bathtub and use a scroll at the same time, be my guest."

            "Fine."  Alice pulled out her book.  "That was your last warning…"

**

[Keith]

            The illusionist was backing into a corner now.  His endurance was beginning to run low; we had been fighting for well over an hour.  The city was quickly becoming cool, almost cold as the sun set.

            I listened carefully and then felt a dagger slice my sword arm.  His aim was off.  Now I knew where he was.  I struck, having learned by now he was trying to evade me by staying close to the grown—so I swung low.  There was a yell of pain.  I sensed the flow of blood and reached down, searching it out.  It was rather odd searching blood out by scent alone.  Hopefully he had run out of healing magic—it got tiring to have the coppery scent disappear too quickly.

            His shirt was soaked in blood, but it was a shallow wound.  I lifted him up, ignoring his struggles to get away.  I heard the illusionist's other dagger fall to the ground with a clatter and knew I was safe.  I leaned toward him and bit his neck, an act so natural to me it was done with ease despite the blindfold.

            "Keith, stop!  What are you doing?"  
            I paused for a moment, hearing Margarete's voice tinged with fear and pain.  The neck was already pierced and the blood trickling into my mouth.  Had the clatter been a gun dropping, or was this another illusion?

            I continued sucking the blood out.  There was a bit of resistance as Margarete's voice continued to plead for me to let go, but she never hit or slapped me as I would have expected the spy to do.  Eventually I felt the body go slack and ripped off the Mind's Eye.  I was holding a dark-haired man, unconscious but with steady breath.  I sighed with infinite relief.  Margarete would have killed me if I had drained her blood.

            I dropped the man and looked around for Margarete or Zhuzhen.  After all, the illusionist was unimportant as long as he was not casting those annoying illusions.  But instead of Margarete or Zhuzhen, I saw Halley run past, Sharon cradled in his arms.  The others must have lost him again.  Good thing I had stayed behind.  I growled with annoyance and then followed him through the streets.

            The stalls were starting to close up since it was dark.  Halley disappeared into one of the buildings—it was the inn we were lodged in, he was going to our room!

            My temper rose higher as I followed him upstairs.  I was on the same floor as our room when I saw the door close.  Was he thinking of taking something?  We had gotten most of our things out, but—

            I flung open the door, drawing my sword in case he wanted to fight.  Halley whirled around.  "Keith," he said uncertainly.  His eyes were wide and frightened.  "Sharon, she's—I can't heal her."

            "She's injured?"  I looked down at her.  Her skin was ashen and her breath came heavily and unevenly.  "Did she get hurt in a fight?"

            "No, I don't know how, just…"

            Realizing there was a definite emergency, I sheathed my sword and examined Sharon more closely.  Her pupils were dilated and she was trembling from head to toe.  "You can't heal her?"

            "I've been trying.  I can't.  She didn't get hit by a spell.  Look."  He held out his hand over her face and concentrated.  The healing magic entered her body, but she calmed only briefly before her face returned to the same gray color and the trembling became even worse.

            I rummaged in the items bag and found a Thera leaf.  It had the same effect as Halley's magic had: she seemed fine for a moment, but in the next instant she was ill again, perhaps worse than before.

            "Alright, you stay here.  I'll get Zhuzhen," I told Halley.  Before I left, I looked at him sternly.  "If you're not here when we return, he's not healing her.  Do you understand?"

            "I'm not going to leave her!" Halley said angrily.  Seeing my expression, he turned his face away.  "I know you guys are mad at me…but I have a good reason why we shouldn't go to the City of Darkness."

            "If it's a good reason, why didn't you tell us earlier?" I said.

            "Because he said…he said you wouldn't listen."

            "He?"  Halley seemed unsure how to respond and I realized that Sharon was only getting worse as the minutes passed.  "Never mind, tell me when I come back."

            He nodded and then I left the room.  Time to find a healer…

**

[Fox Face]

            "In you go!" Alice said.  She whacked me with another weak Blessed Light for good measure and I scrambled in the tub.  She hadn't hurt me, since all the spells she'd cast were low-level, but then again they didn't exactly tickle.  "And now…"  She took out the water scroll and read it.  Soon I was soaked to the bone and growling.  "Don't give me that tone.  I told you I'd get you in here."

            "I hate baths," I complained.  I tried to climb out but Alice put her book on my nose.

            "I don't think so.  You stay in there."  She smiled as I grumpily sat back down.  "Did you always give your mother this much grief?"

            "We just hid when it was time for a bath."

            "So you gave her lots of grief."  Alice rummaged around the bath, searching for something.  She soon returned with some sort of gel, probably soap.  "Let's clean you up with this."

            "No soap."

            "Yes.  You stink."  She opened the cap and examined it.  She sniffed it curiously.  "And this smells nice.  Like lavender."

            "There is no way in hell I'm going to smell like lavender.  Next thing you know you'll be putting pink bows in my fur."

            Alice grinned.  "Don't give me ideas, Fox Face."

            "You wouldn't dare."

            "Well, be a good boy and settle down for your bath and I won't damage your male pride any more than I already have.  Except for making you smell like lavender.  But I don't think you'll mind that too much."

            She probably didn't realize how good a kitsuune's sense of smell was.  I caught one whiff of the lavender, and it was potent.  "Alice.  Please don't."  I'd be smelling only that for the next day if she used it on me.

            "Don't be such a baby."  She dumped it in the water, and bubbles started appearing.  I groaned, knowing I'd have the scent on me for days unless I had another bath.  Maybe that was Alice's point.  "Now let's get you cleaned up."

            "Yes, ma'am…"  Sulkily I sank down into the water so even my head was wet.  This was going to be the worst bath ever.

**

[Keith]

            Getting on the rooftops was simple for me.  I only needed to transform myself into a bat before I flew up.  After a few minutes of frantically flying, I discovered a triumphant Margarete and Zhuzhen near an unconscious brunette.  There was some type of magical chain going from Margarete's hand to the young girl's.  "What is that?" I asked once I changed forms.

            "It's a slave bracelet.  They had it ready for Halley, but we're using it now."

            "They?"  That was right, there was a third person.  He was in the shadows of Zhuzhen's flare, tending to the unconscious girl.  Unlike her, he was not bound.  "Is that safe?" I asked.

            "What, to leave him free…?  Yeah, I think so.  He doesn't seem to have any magical talent, and he might be a worse liar than Alice, if you can imagine that.  And I disarmed him," she said, smirking.  "I'm guessing you took care of the illusionist…"

            I nodded and turned to Zhuzhen.  "Halley's at the hotel.  Something seems to be wrong with Sharon, and he can't heal her."

            "So he wants help," Zhuzhen said.  He sighed, somewhat aggravated, when I nodded.  "Well, at least we know where he is."

            "Can I borrow your staff?" Margarete asked.  "I still have to give him a good whack upside the head."  She turned around to face the man.  "Come on.  Syth, right?  We're going.  If you want to come with us, you better hurry up."

            "They're coming with?" I asked as she started walking.  This seemed rather foolish, but then she usually had good reasons for her actions.

            "Well, that guy was smart enough to shut up after a while," she said, nodding to Syth, "So I only know what this thing does," holding up the bracelet, "and that they wanted Halley since he's psychic."

            "What does that do, anyway?"

            "It's used on slaves in this world.  It doesn't allow them to go outside of a certain range and it suppresses magical talent.  Which I like, because that means I don't have to worry about her summoning anything."

            "And what does this have to do with them coming with."

            "You got me sidetracked," she accused lightly.  She shrugged.  "Interrogation."

            I shook my head.  It was incredible how she seemed so comfortable with taking two people prisoner.  Had she done this often in her profession?

            "Now, what did you do with your guy?  Drain his blood or something?"

            "Yes."

            She turned to me, her blue eyes for once showing some surprise.  "Really?  You killed him?"

            "Not all of his blood," I protested.  I glanced back, where Syth was watching us closely.  He held the sleeping girl to his chest, a very protective gesture.  "I took enough so he was unconscious and there weren't any more illusions.  I was sick of him pretending to be you after a while."

            Margarete laughed.  "Really, he pretended to be me?"  She turned around and jerked the arm with the golden bracelet up, pulling them closer.  Syth had been trailing but now quickened his pace as the girl was almost pulled out of his arms.  The simple gesture seemed somewhat haughty to me—it reminded me of something.  I shook my head.  "He didn't?"

            "No, he did."

            "What'd he do?  Show you panties?"  She grinned as I turned red.  "You did surprise me earlier.  Are you a panty perv, Keith?"

            "I am not," I said, both embarrassed and annoyed.  "I—you were flirting."

            "I was not flirting.  I would say the same thing to Yuri."

            "You flirt with Yuri."

            "But I don't mean anything by it."  She shook her head.  "Oh, never mind.  You just have no idea how funny it was to hear **that** come out of your mouth.  Zhuzhen wasn't sure if he'd heard you right."

            I groaned.  "Well, you didn't let me tell you earlier."

            "Tell me what, you wanted to see my panties?"

            "No!  Would you—would you stop laughing?"

            But the spy continued chuckling as I turned redder.  Zhuzhen's fire wasn't helping, since I couldn't hide my face from the spy's inspection.  I suddenly wished I was dealing with Aquila Rose here.  Their personalities seemed somewhat similar, but the other had been so much **simpler**—Margarete was too complex for me.  She had insisted they were different people, but Rose might have been a childlike version of Margarete.

            And Aquila Rose would have actually shut up and listened to me.

            Zhuzhen entered the room first.  Halley had not moved from Sharon's side, and he was already turned to us—he had probably been searching us out with his ESP.

            "Alright, what's wrong with her?" Zhuzhen asked, looking her over.  Sharon was murmuring something as she trembled.  Perhaps she was having a fever dream.  But when I touched her forehead, it was cold, almost like ice.

            Zhuzhen tried his healing spell, Nourishing Potion, then attempted other spells.  Nothing was happening, except that Halley was becoming more frantic.  Finally Zhuzhen lost his patience.

            "Keith, can you give him a Pure root?"

            I found the item and offered it to Halley, who took it.  It was either that or he would be taken out by Margarete.  He calmed down slowly, still watching Sharon closely.  "Please be okay…" I heard him whisper.

            Zhuzhen shook his head.  "I don't know.  I have no idea what's wrong with her."

            "She's the angel, isn't she?"

            It took me a second to realize someone had spoken.  It was Syth.  He was cradling Persephone still as he sat on the floor.

            "Isn't she?"  His gray eyes were scanning over all of us as he looked for the answer.

            "Yes, she is," Halley said.  "Is that why…?"

            "May I see her?"

            "You think you can help her?" Margarete asked him.

            "Only if she wants to be helped."

            What kind of a response was that?  Margarete shrugged and nodded.  "You can try.  I'll just let you know now, you think of hurting her and he," she said, indicating Halley, "will probably kill you before you can even try."

            He shrugged and stood, the light of the room dancing in the crystal strands of his hair.  Very gently, he put the small brunette down and approached Sharon.  He looked at Halley.  "What is her name?"

            The psychic looked puzzled.  "Her name…?  Sharon."

            "Sharon," Syth asked, "Are you disobeying God?"

            The girl continued to shiver, but she seemed to be making a response.  Her lips were moving very slightly, her head shaking very slightly.            

            "Do not lie," the man said lightly, "God damns all liars."

            Halley started towards him, but stopped when Sharon spoke.

            "Y-yes."

            "What were you ordered to do?"

            "I h-have to find Sarah, a-and return her to the path of righteousness," Sharon said.  She seemed to be reciting something instead of actually speaking.

            "And what are you doing instead?"  This brought only silence.  Syth leaned closer to Sharon, and I placed one hand on Tyrving, to make sure he understood not to harm her.  He took no notice of the unspoken threat.  "Why aren't you looking for Sarah?"

            "Because Halley doesn't want to go," Sharon whispered.  "I can't go without Halley."

            I looked at Halley.  He was still watching Sharon with concern, but his hands were starting to ball into fists.  Even though neither of us understood what was happening, we knew where this was leading.

            "But Halley changed his mind," Syth said.  "He's going.  You can go with him and find Sarah."

            Her green eyes seemed to flicker with more life as she looked at Halley.  "Really?"

            Halley forced a smile onto his face.  "Yeah, of course I'm going."

            "So I don't have to choose?"  She looked up at Syth as she asked this.

            "No.  You can stay with him and serve God.  You don't have to choose."

            The trembling stopped as her body completely relaxed.  Her eyes slid closed in sleep, and the color was already beginning to return to her face.  Apparently whatever Syth had done—he had to have done something more than talking—had worked.

            "I don't understand," Halley said.  "What was wrong with her?"

            "You never force an angel to disobey God," Syth said.  His light gray eyes bored into Halley's blue eyes.  "Her orders are to find Sarah.  One way or another, you were telling her to ignore those orders.  God does not tolerate disobedience from his own people."

            "Then—that happened just because they made her an angel?" Halley said angrily.  I looked at Sharon, now resting peacefully on the bed, asleep.  Just what had they done to her at Eden?  "What's going on?"

            "If an angel disobeys God, He will force the angel to His will.  It is inevitable.  They can either surrender to Him or be broken.  This girl wasn't surrendering to God.  If she had continued much longer, she probably would have been broken."  Syth's gaze was still on Halley.  "Either in body, or in mind."

            "If she can't disobey him, and if she has to find Sarah…that means she has to go with us," Margarete said.

            Halley's fists clenched, but he nodded.  "Yeah, I know.  I'll go."  When he looked away, his eyes grew dark for a second before lightening.

            "Now will you tell us the reason you didn't want to go?" I asked.  Halley had always seemed to be a very loyal person.  I was interested in what would persuade him not to help two of his friends when they were in life-threatening situations.

            "It doesn't matter anymore.  I'm going, just like you wanted me to."

            He had that sullen tone again, the same as this morning.  I was in no mood to deal with this attitude again.  "Halley, just please tell us—"

            "It doesn't matter, Tiresias!  I'm doing what you want!  Aren't you ever satisfied?"

            I stared at him after the outburst.  It was then that I realized something wasn't quite right—perhaps hadn't been right the entire day.  Halley's eyes had retaken the hard, skeptical look that wasn't natural to him.  "Tiresias—so are you a shadow soul?"

            Halley's eyes dimmed for a moment before lighting up again, still cool and uninterested.  "Halley doesn't want to deal with you right now.  To be honest, I don't want to deal with you either, but I figured I should give him a break."

            Zhuzhen coughed, drawing my attention away from the blond nuisance.  Even if it wasn't Halley, he was being very annoying.  "Is Halley going to come back?"

            "He should tonight, after he's rested a bit."

            "And he is coming with us?"

            "You heard him yourself.  Although I might have to persuade him otherwise."

            "Right," I said, "Just forget it.  We all need to rest, and calm down."  I looked at Halley, unsure who I was actually talking to.  "Alright?"

            He shrugged.

            After we were all settled in, Zhuzhen having paid for a second night and Margarete satisfied that all weapons were out of Syth's and Persephone's reaches, I went to sleep quickly.  Halley's shadow soul was troubling; it didn't seem much like him.  I entered Yuri's Graveyard and entered.

            As I had expected, Mnemosyne and Tiresias were still keeping a vigil over Yuri—who did not seem much better than from before.  He continued to oscillate between being Yuri and being Hyuga.  Fox Face was by his side, looking sullen.

            "What's wrong?"

            "I got a bath," the kitsuune answered.

            "Oh."  I shook my head, somewhat amused by the answer.  "So I take it everything else went all right?"

            "Yep, they think Alice is a bona fide angel.  Now all we need to do is figure out where Ego is, slap him out of his little spell, and break him out."

            Mnemosyne buried her head into her arms, sighing.  "You make it sound so simple."  I agreed with her; Fox Face shared Yuri's trait of overconfidence.  She looked up at me, idly stretching out her red robes as she shifted her legs.  "How're things on your end?"

            "Halley gave us a very rough day, but I think it's because of his shadow soul."

            Mnemosyne sat a little more upright, her curiosity piqued.  "What?"

            "Well, his attitude's definitely changed.  And he keeps calling me Tiresias, so I thought it might be a shadow soul."

            The Japanese woman was now scowling.  "Exactly what is he acting like now?"

            "Well, he was reluctant about going to the City of Darkness.  To the point that he attacked us when we tried to persuade him."

            "Mm."  She did not look too pleased.  "Tiresias, you stay here.  If Hyuga asks where I am it's to take care of a nasty problem."

            The other vampire frowned.  "Mnemosyne, I know he's a nuisance, but…"

            "Nuisance, **nothing**.  I have reincarnated him at least fifteen times now, and every single time he's insisted on being a complete pest.  I am not going to tolerate any oath-breakers, not now.  He is taking advantage of Hyuga's weakness for his own games."  Her dark eyes were on Yuri as his chest rose and fell very slightly.  He was still deep in the memories of another man's life, and it would still be a few more days before he came out of it.

            "This shadow soul…he doesn't sound much like Halley," I said, curiously.

            Mnemosyne shook her head.  "No.  I intervened in Halley's life to make sure he wouldn't turn out the same way Asher did."

            "Asher?"  Fox Face's ears perked.  "Isn't that the guy Tiresias doesn't like?"  The fox chuckled.  "I want to see what this guy's like."

            "Oh, you will," Mnemosyne said, standing up.  "Just follow me.  It's time to see what Asher's made of his spirit world."

**

**Author's Note:**  Okay.  I don't blame anyone who didn't like this chapter.  Seeing as I didn't like it myself.  I was struggling through it the entire time.  -.-;;;  And I will probably never like it.  And I think this time I've made Keith OOC, which is amazing because he wasn't given much character in the first place.  Fizzerschnitzels.

I added another little hint about Mnemosyne in this chapter, since Kim's already guessed who she is.

Anything else?…I just did not like this chappy.  -.-;;  On the other hand, I've finally got the two groups to meet up.

**

**Reviewers:**

**Dac173:**  Yuri has a different name in the Japanese version, Urmnaf Bort.  Yuri, on the other hand, means "George" in Russian or "Lily" in Japanese.  Would you rather call him George Hyuga or Lily Hyuga?  : )

**DarkFusion:** No, that's definitely my fault there.  I seem to like obfuscating things.

**Cody the Impaler:**  I'm sorry this is late!  ^^;;

**PrettyArbitrary:**  Yeah, I got Koudelka recently.  Fun fun game.  But Koudelka in Shadow Hearts is given as a Fire class, not Dark class, I believe.  The monsters are scared of her "like bats are afraid of the light" or something like that.  And I'm going to give a different reason why Halley doesn't affect Yuri's souls like that.

**Janet Ross' ghost:**  : )  That was the point.  I'm glad I scared someone.

**MikoNoNyte:**  ^^  Were you cheering when Sharon got hurt in chapter seven?  I actually like Sharon a lot, and I'm trying to show that she's not really to blame here.

Hm, a big tromping fusion soul **might** flatten Eden…but then…it might also be someone else who gets ticked off.

If you're talking about Yuri being the unbalanced soul, there's good reason why she repeatedly reincarnates him.  Such as the fact that she likes him.  ^^

**The Setra Prince:**  .


End file.
